The Kidnapper
by ll Kairi ll
Summary: So, i guess it's after battle  city and everything's quiet. That is until someone breaks into Yugi's house and kidnaps him. Whats gonna happen? Will Yugi be found? Sorry, i really suck at summaries. This story is like No Kinen Ni in the first chapter ONLY
1. Kidnapping process

Reason: I edited it to make it all past tense! January 3, 2011

Okay, so this is my first story, and just so you know, I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH! :D I can't really tell if their ooc, so please read it and review and see where I might of messed up!

The Kidnapper

Yami walked around the familiar, but unfamiliar, maze, everything looking the same; the stairs, the doors, and even the walls. He decided to walk up a flight of stairs, then without thinking, walked down a different set of stairs. Yami was so bored that he wanted to wake his partner, Yugi, up to talk to him. But he knew his partner needed as much sleep as possible so he could concentrate on the upcoming test in the morning.

The nameless pharaoh sighed and sat down on one of the steps he was standing on. He lay's back, closing his eyes and suddenly felt a disturbing presence.

With his eyes flashing open, he looked around the maze and then felt it, the fear and confusion coming from his partner.

"Yugi?" The pharaoh called out. He quickly stood up and phases out of the puzzle and into the familiar room of Yugi's.

The room was dark, except for the moon casting its bright light through the window. The quiet night was disturbed by Yugi's muffled yells and the crashes of Yugi's possessions as they are knocked over by Yugi's thrashing legs.

Yami looked at Yugi with horrified but angry eyes. A tall and well built man had Yugi pin down on the floor, using one huge knee to pin his legs down, one hand holding both of the boys' wrists, and the other hand pressing a cloth to his mouth and nose.

"Yugi!" The pharaoh yelled, knowing that only they two will be able to hear his voice.

Yugi stopped struggling against the man for a moment, seeing his partner.

Even behind the cloth, the small tri-haired boy yelled out, "Mou hitori no boku!" His words were a bit muffled, but still understandable.

The guy, also understanding him, looked around and whispered in his deep husky voice, "No one's here boy and even if they were, they can't do anything!"

Yugi's eyes filled with fear as he stared helplessly at Yami, hoping for help.

As Yugi's protector, Yami has vowed that he would protect him. So what does he do? He charged at the man, forgetting that he was only a spirit.

The pharaoh slipped right through the man and stumbled to a stop. He looked at Yugi. "You have to get to the puzzle! There's little I can do when you're not wearing it." Yugi nodded and started to squirm harder.

Raising his right hand to point at the man's chest, the pharaoh forces all his dark energy to the chest. A small and dark object erupted from the pharaoh's hand and flung itself at the target implied.

Surprise and startled, the man lets go of Yugi and fell backwards, landing on his back.

Once the man fell off, taking the cloth with him, Yugi yelled as loud as he could. "OJII- SAN! Help me!" He hurried and made it to his feet, stumbling a bit. Catching himself, Yugi ran to his desk, even though it was only a few feet away, which held the Millennium Puzzle on top.

But right as Yugi's hand seizes the cold chain, the man was already up and made a grab for Yugi. He grabbed the small boy at the waist and threw him across the room, watching Yugi hit the closed door.

"Oh no you don't, brat!" The man yelled as Yugi's whole right side hits the door hard. The small boy fell to the floor, the puzzle escaping his grasp. "I know what that puzzle does, but I won't give you the chance to put it on!" The buff man walked over to Yugi, laughing harshly.

"Yugi! Hurry, the puzzle!" The pharaoh urgently told him. Yugi nods and quickly sits up, wincing a bit from the pain. He looked around himself, finally locating his most prized possession nearby.

Right as Yugi was reaching for it, the man's fingers wraps around Yugi's small neck and tightens, picking the boy up so his feet dangled in the air. "Like I said, you won't be able to put it on." Yugi's innocent amethyst eyes looked into the man's hateful blue ones.

"Why . . . are you . . . here?" The boy squeaked out. The man was holding Yugi's neck so tight, that he was crushing his wind pipes; allowing Yugi to breathe only small amounts of air.

The man laughs, saying nothing as he walked over to Yugi's messy bed and grabbed a thin blanket.

"Yugi!" The small boy looked towards the door; making out his partners figure before black dots started making its way into his vision.

"Mou hitori no boku!" He managed. And, using the rest of his energy, Yugi kicked the man hard in the gut.

Once again, the man released Yugi, doubling over. Yelling, the man glared at Yugi, "Why you little bastard!" He dropped the blanket and lunges for Yugi, who was already on his feet and running towards the door as soon as he was let go.

Throwing open his bedroom door, Yugi grabbed the puzzle and zoomed out of his room, hearing the man yell in frustration.

"Aibou!" The pharaohs voice echoed.

Yugi ran down the stairs, talking two at a time. In a hurry, the boy shoved his puzzle on and immediately, the puzzle's eye grows brightly.

Instead of Yugi running down the remaining steps, the tall and very muscular pharaoh does, and in doing so, he yells, "OJII- SAN! . . . OJI-"

"That's right!" Yugi's voice sounded in the pharaoh's mind. "Grandpa is out of town with Mr. Hopkins. They won't be back until later today!"

"Err..." Was all Yami made out as he reached the last step. He swung to the right, not stopping, making his way to the game shop's front door. But before making it to the door, his eyes caught the time on the wall. It read 5:34 a.m.

Yugi noticed too. "He's supposed to be back around seven or eight."

Yami nodded. "Yes, but that isn't now."

Just as his hand touched the door handle, Yugi cried out, "Wait!" The pharaoh stopped, resting his hand on the handle. "Where's that guy? Wasn't he just following us?"

Yami looked around the little store, realizing everything was quiet. "But where is he?"

Just as he finished his sentence, three short taps sounded on the door's window, along with a deep husky voice.

"Little piggy, little piggy, let me in!"

The handle started to turn under Yami's hand, but he quickly locked the door and backs away. The handle stopped, being locked in place.

"Damn it!" All three guys reply in unison.

Now, instead of tapping on the door, the guy banged his fists. "Damn, you bastard! But don't worry, this little lock won't hold me; I will make it in there."

"We have to do something!" Yugi said, phasing out so he floated a few feet beside the pharaoh.

"Like what?" he asked, not looking at his transparent partner.

Yugi floated silently for a moment. "I don't know." He looked around the game shop until his eyes sought out the phone. "The phone!" This time, the pharaoh looked at Yugi with confusion. "We have to call the police!"

The pharaoh nodded and quickly turned around, running for the counter. But just as he did, the glass on the door broke and a huge hand entered through the shattered window.

"Heh, see? What I tell ya? The lock couldn't hold me!" The man started to feel his way down to the lock.

The pharaoh watched the man turning the lock so it clicked open. Yugi turned to his partner, fear showing in his big amethyst eyes. "Hurry!"

Yami nodded and reached for the phone, quickly punching in the numbers for the police. He put the phone to his ear just as the man swung the door open, putting so much force into it that the wood cracks when it hit the wall.

The man laughed loudly, filling up the whole room.

_"Police department, what is your emergency"_ A female's voice said on the other line.

Quickly, the pharaoh yelled into the phone, "My name is Yugi Muto and someone broke into my house and-"

The man started walking towards Yami, a look of murder plastered on his face. "They can't help you, little Yugi."

Yami tried to ignore him and continued to speak into the receiver, "I need help!" He quickly told the lady his address but could say no more as he watched the man approached the counter, closing in on him so that only a few feet should stand between the two males.

Without waiting for a reply, Yami dropped the phone and turned around, about to start running when the man threw himself on the boy, pinning him down.

All the air rushed out of Yami's lungs. He tried to fight the guy to get free, but the guy doesn't budge.

"You can't surprise me anymore, boy." The man said, adjusting his position so he dug his knee into the boy's back. Yami lets out a gasp of pain as the man's knee dug deeper. Next, the man reached down and grabbed the puzzle around Yami's next. "Can't have you wearing this." He took it off and threw it across the room; the puzzle landing near the broken door.

"Mou hitori no boku!" Yugi yelled just as his and Yami's soul suddenly switched, causing them both to cry out in pain. Yugi gasped as his own soul ig thrust back into his own body, then adds that as he feels the pain as the man dus deeper into his back.

The pharaoh stood next to his Millennium Puzzle, angry by what has just happened. "Aibou!" He yelled. He ran to his partner, feeling his stomach tighten from being so helpless. Kneeling next to him, he muttered, "Aibou, hold on. The police, they're on their way!" Yugi nodded and tried to break free of the man.

Suddenly, the man grabbed Yugi's wrists and restrains them behind his back. Yugi winced in pain while Yami curses. The man, laughing the whole time, stopped. "You're pretty hard to handle, Mr. Muto. I can see why the boss told me to do this."

"What... are you... talking about?" Yugi managed. He sucked in oxygen as he tried to jerk himself free, but that only made the man tighten his grip.

"Heh, for the past month, the boss has been keeping an eye on you. You see, the boss likes to find handsome young boys to become her love slaves." Yugi's eyes grew twice its size. "But the only way that could happen, is if she can force the boys to her home. And that's why I'm here!"

Looking beyond angry, the pharaoh looked at his partner. Yugi's eyes were laced with fear and disbelief. "Yugi, you've got to be strong!" Yami orders his partner, but, already, he knew that that is impossible. "We'll find a way out of this . . . We always do!" But Yugi only nods, nothing changing. "And Yugi," The small boy looked at his protector, "We still have our links. I will find you with it, so keep calling out." Yugi, still scared, gave a sharp small nod.

The man laughed before getting up. Still holding onto the boy's wrists, he pulled him up and hoists the tri-haired boy over his shoulder like he was a sack of flour.

"Mou hitori no boku!" Yugi squeaked out. He thrashed his legs around, still trying to get free.

The man was getting irritated now. "Hey brat! How 'bout going to sleep now?" Using his free hand, the man hits the back of Yugi's head so hard; that he was slowly loses consciousness.

The last thing Yugi noticed was the pharaoh, one of his best friends, yelling his name. Tears slide down his cheeks as he watched helplessly as the man started to carry Yugi out the backdoor. Off in the distance, blue and red lights were flashing as they neared.

But after that, the darkness swarmed around Yugi, leaving him in complete darkness.

Yugi: Why do I have to get kidnapped?

Kairi(Me): Because Yugi. Your just so cute and innocent.

Yugi: But. . . . That's not MY fault! Why… Can't you make it so that I DON'T get kidnapped?

Kairi: Sorry Yugi, but then I wouldn't have a story! But don't worry, I promise you WON'T die!

Yugi: O.O *Runs and finds Yami*

Kairi: Uh oh! This can't be good! But anyways, please review while I run and hide!

Stay turn!


	2. Whats going to happen?

**Updated January 5, 2011**

Okay, I know I'm not the best writer, but can you at least review my story? I was really depressed when I only got one review, which made me even sadder what he wrote… Criticize my writing, 'cause when you do, it makes me become a better writer! Just please, please don't be too harsh. :p

FireFox Vixen, Thank you soooo much! I really appreciated the comment!

And for those of you who read No Kinen Ni, I already told the author that I was inspired by his story to write my own. Sorry if the first chapter is like almost word for word, but it was hard to de-attached my brain from his. But the second chapter will totally be different! I promise!

Sorry it took me so long to get my second chapter up, but I was depressed, and my editor didn't want to edit my story. . Hope you like it! -Kairi

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh nor any of the characters, just mine. If I did own I, then Yami would come back from the afterlife! And Yu-Gi-Oh gx and 5d, or whatever, never were made. (Not a fan of those)

**Kairi: Well, the first chapter has been re-updated, meaning all the tenses should be correct. If not, just contact me and I'll redo em! J**

**Yugi: *Sits curled into a ball on the chair.***

**Yami: It's alright Yugi, *Has a arm slung over his hikari protectively and glares at Kay.* I still can't believe you did that Kay.**

**Kairi: Hey, I'm sorry, all right? Really Yugi, but, I just really wanted to write this story! Please don't be mad. *Puppy eyes***

**Yugi: *Glances up.* Your forgiven…. But, you must bake me your famous cookies.**

**Kairi: O.O Famous? My cookie's ain't famous.**

**Yami: *Glares***

**Kairi *Gulps,* But alright, deal! **

Chapter 2:

"He what?" Joey yelled in disbelief. He, Tea, and Tristan were standing a few feet away from the game shop, talking to an officer.

"How did it happen, Officer?" Tea asked, her voice hoarse.

The three of them were off to pick Yugi up for school, just like any normal school day. But when they reached his house, police were swarming it; going into the shop, coming out, then going right back in. It had taken forever for Joey to get a hold of someone to ask what had happened.

The officer, Kato, looked at Tea's sadden blue eyes. "It seems to be that the kidnapper snuck through Mr. Mutou's bedroom window and tried to drug him in his sleep. We found the cloth in the room, so we know that the boy got away from it. And by the looks of his bedroom, there was a big struggle. That's about as much information as I'm allowed to release." He nodded his head to the teens before excusing himself to go to the game shop.

Tears fill Tea's big blue eyes as she looked at her two friends. Joey was looking at the shops broken door while Tristan was looking around, looking like he was trying to find someone.

Tristan looked at someone familiar before beckoning to his friends. "Hey guys, there's Yugi's grandfather!"

A short man with gray hair and a red bandana covering most of it, was talking with an officer, his face had tears streaming down it. He wore his teal overalls with his white shirt with a handkerchief sticking out one of the pockets.

"Let's go." Joey said, looking at the emotional man. "He may need us." The three teens started to make their way towards him, but someone stopped them. All three teens stop suddenly before Joey glared at the figures back. "Hey, do ya mind getting out of the way?"

The man turned around with sorrow filled eyes. "Sorry Joey, but Solomon needs to talk with the police alone." Mr. Hopkins said. Even after coming back from the trip the two men had gone on, the professor still wore his normal, tan colored suit with the red bow tie.

"Mr. Hopkins!" Tea lets out a surprised squeak. It has been awhile since the last time the group had seen the researcher. (1)

Mr. Hopkins smiled sadly. "Good morning, Tea, Tristan, Joey. Well, it isn't really a 'good' morning is it?"

Changing the subject, though they weren't really on one, Tristan asked the older man, "Mr. Hopkins, do you know exactly what's going on here?"

The professor looked surprised. "You mean you don't know?"

"We know some, but not the whole thing." Joey said, casting his eyes away from the professor. Instead, his eyes rested upon the upset Mutou, whose now sitting on a bench outside the game shop.

Tea nodded, tears threatening to spill over her eyes. "The police told us that the kidnapper . . . tried to drug Yugi." A few tears escaped and slid down her cheeks. Ignoring them, she continues, "but there was a struggle and somehow Yugi escaped."

Mr. Hopkins nodded. "Well, indeed that is true; Yugi did escape long enough to call the police. He didn't really tell them much, just his name, where he lived and that someone was in the house.

"The police think that Yugi tried to lock the kidnapper out," He said, gesturing towards the broken door and window. "And when he got into the shop, he knocked Yugi unconscious."

Joey curled his hands into fists at his side, but doesn't say anything. Instead, he kept watching Mr. Mutou, who put his face into his hands, silently weeping for his lost grandson.

All four of them stayed quiet, each of them fixing their attention to something different.

Finally, Joey blurted out, "Do you know if Yugi had the millennium Puzzle with him when he . . . left?"

"Joey, why do you want to know?" Tea asked surprise. The tears on her face have been wiped away. "Why should you care if he has the puzzle when our best friend was kidnapped?"

Joey turned his expressionless gaze towards Tea. " 'Cause, if Yugi had the puzzle when everything was happening, then Yami knows the details."

Tristan's face brightens a bit. "So if Yugi left without the puzzle, then we can get Yami to help us find him! He and Yugi share a connection, so even if they were far apart, they can still 'hear' each other!"

Tea nodded, catching the drift, but having only one problem. "But what happens if Yugi _does_ have the puzzle? Then we won't know have any way of knowing!"

Mr. Hopkins, who has been quiet for the time being, spoke up, "Ah, the millennium puzzle, I presume? The police found it in the shop under some broken glass."

The three teen's expressions brighten up.

"So we can just ask Yami what exactly happened!" Tristan said. "And see if he can help us track Yugi down."

Tea smiles, excitement taking over her sadness. Joey looks at Tristan and Tea before his half smile plants itself on his face.

"But first things first," Joey said. "We're going to need to get the puzzle without the police getting involved."

"I can help you with that." Yugi's grandfather said, wiping his eyes with a handkerchief. He had walked over to the group, unnoticed because the teens were talking with one another.

XxxxX

Yugi blinked his eyes open, his head throbbing. He lifted his hand up to feel the back of his head, but couldn't; his hand couldn't move. Yugi tried harder but the results were the same.

Panic started rising in his chest. The small boy looked down at his body to find himself tied up; rope going all the way around his stomach, locking is arms in place.

Yugi looked back up, taking in his surroundings. He was sitting in, what looked like, an office, with a desk and an expensive looking computer on it. Behind it stood a huge, comfortable looking chair. The desk and chair stood in a huge room with a few more things.

Adverting his gaze away from the desk, Yugi noticed long and black, leathered couches lining three of the four walls. He looked around more, but there was nothing else in the room. Realizing that he was alone in a huge, unknown office, fear pumped into his blood stream.

The small, tri-haired boy tried to squirm, but the ropes were too tightly bound, causing him to be rope burned the more he struggled. It was a good thing Yugi was sitting on the floor, his back leaning against one of the leathered couches, for if he was actually sitting on the couch, he would have fell.

Yugi immediately stopped struggling as he heard voices on the other side of the wall. The voices were talking loudly but the wall made the words muffled. Yugi sat completely still as the voices started coming closer.

The door to the room suddenly opened and the voices belonging to the people walked in through the entry. Yugi watched with big fearful orbs as the two people walked into view, one buff looking man with light black hair, and a tall, slender female. They stop talking almost immediately when they notice the conscious boy.

The female smiled warmly with her red stained lips. "Yugi Mutou, you're finally awake." Her voice was thick like honey and resembling ones of a mother's voice. The guy next to her stayed quiet, though he watched Yugi like a hawk.

Finding his voice, Yugi stammered out, "W- who're you?"

The lady walked towards him, the short red dress she wore rippled with her body; reminding Yugi of touching still water and watching it ripple. "My name is Cassandra Sensamino, but you can call me boss." She arrived in front of the boy and knelt down so that they were eye level with each other.

Yugi swallowed nervously. "What do you want with me?"

Cassandra doesn't answer; instead, she took Yugi's chin in her long elegant fingers. Yugi flinched, but Cassandra held him firmly. She moved his whole head to the left, then to the right, examining the young boy's features. Removing her hand, she then started tracing Yugi's cheek softly with her index finger.

The light touch sent shivers down Yugi's spine. He remained still, watching Cassandra's face turning into amusement from Yugi's reaction.

Out of nowhere, Cassandra leaned forward and rested her lips on his. Yugi jumped in surprise and made a sound in his throat. He tried to pull away by turning his head, but the woman deepened the kiss, keeping him in place.

Yugi was too stunned to do anything, so he kept still, except for his heart racing in his chest.

A few seconds went by and Cassandra pulled away, running her pink tongue over her red stained lips. She smiled at the young boy before standing up and turning to the guy, who never moved.

"Coby, I can tell he's a newbie. So . . . about a week with the girls?" She nodded to herself, and then stopped. "Wait; make that a week and a half. He needs a lot of practice." The guy, Coby, nodded but still didn't move. Cassandra started walking away, but stopped, halfway turning to Yugi. "Oh, and Yugi?" She practically purred. Yugi turned his confused eyes to her. "To answer your question, you're here because I want you here. You are my property, so I can do whatever I want."

"I'm not nor property, nor am I anyone's property!" Yugi replied coldly, his huge amethyst eyes narrow, looking, nor acting like himself.

But Cassandra just smiled. "Sorry to burst your bubble, honey, but now you are. In a week and a half, you'll have the mark, branding you to me, and always will." She turned back around and nodded at Cody. She walked to the door, opens it, and then walked out, leaving Yugi and the man alone.

Once the door shuts with a soft click, Coby made his way towards the tied up boy. The silence of the room was disturbed by his deep, husky voice.

"Hello, Mr. Mutou. Happy ta see me again?" He snickered.

Yugi's face fell as he recognized the man's voice. He stared wide eyed at his kidnapper, finally taking in his appearance.

Coby must have been in his late thirties, early forties, for he has salt 'n pepper short hair. He kept it neatly combed back with gel, probably. The man looked to be almost 6'3 ft and was very bulky. Yugi knew it was all muscle; he remembered miserably trying to get away from him. Coby was a Hispanic, though his skin was lighter than the average man. (2)

"You- you were the one that kidnapped me!" Yugi squeaked out, fear and anger boiling in his system.

The man snickered again as he walked closer and closer. "That's right, little boy. It's an honor for you to remember me, Mr. Mutou!"

"Honor?"

"Mm-Hm the King of Games? Doesn't that ring a bell?" The man said, now standing in front of him.

Yugi let out a squeak of alarm as Coby bent down and grabbed the rope, hauling the little boy up. Being tied up by the rope, Yugi was pulled up as well.

Yugi glared at him. "What does that have to do with any of this?"

Coby shrugged. "Don't know." Using one hand, he positioned the boy under his arm as if he is a bale of hay.

Yugi started to wiggle furiously, trying to escape, but when Coby squeezed hard, he stopped, huffing.

"You know, you're something." Coby said. "You have the looks of innocence; wouldn't harm a fly look, but underneath, you got spunk. I would never have known that."

Yugi decided not to respond; instead, he just looked at the ground with dull amethyst eyes. "What's going to happen to me?" He asked with a defeated like tone, his voice quiet as a whisper.

"You want to know the truth?" Coby asked. Yugi nodded. "Okaaaaaay, but you won't like it."

"I don't care. I just want to know." '_So I can think of an escape plan' _Yugi thought, a flare of small hope entering his mind.

"Well, you know how the boss, the lady that was just in here, said a week and a half with the girls?" Yugi nodded, thinking back. "Well, hm. . . How should I put this . . . The girls down there, the basement, are going to get you ready."

"Ready for what?"

Coby started walking towards the office door with Yugi tightly tucked under his arm. "Um . . . going to preparing you for . . ." With this pause, Yugi tilted his head so he can see Coby's face, which is slightly pink instead of its original lightly tanned, and he seemed lost for words.

Yugi cleared his throat, "Um . . . never mind. I don't want to know anymore." He tried to hide the fear in his voice.

Shrugging, Coby paused for a moment, opened the door that stood between them and what stood beyond the other side of the door. "Suit yourself. But I will tell you one thing; while you're here, your life is gonna change, and I don't just mean by being kidnapped, I mean EVERYTHING's gonna change. I'll give you an example; you're not gonna be a virgin anymore." Coby walked through the doorway and closed it behind himself.

What stood before the two was a long hallway. On one side had many huge windows, with long, thick royal-red curtains draping across them, refusing to let even a peep of sunlight in. On the other side, the right side had many doors. Each door was at least a good thirteen feet apart from each other. As they passed the doors, Yugi noticed that they were all different colors; red, blue, green, yellow and orange. They had no designs, no numbers, nothing decorated, other than the colorful hues.

Yugi looked back at the ground and noticed a long royal red carpet, one resembling carpets leading up to a throne in a kingdom. (Like in KH2, the thin carpet leading up to Mickey's throne) The carpet went all the way down the hall to the very end.

It took only a few seconds for Yugi to take everything in and half a second to register what Cody had said.

"Lose my virginity?" Yugi squeaked out, his eyes widening in complete disbelief.

Coby laughed. "Yup, that's one of the reasons why the boss likes to bring teenage boys here. She likes to do it with them." (3)

Yugi started trembling, mostly out of fear, and a whimper threatened to escape his throat. He swallowed noisily and tried to stop his trembling unsuccessfully.

Coby looked down at the quivering boy and noticed his pale face. "Oi, you alright there?"

Yugi shook his head. "I- I need to get out of here!" He squeaked out.

The man didn't say anything for a while, he just continued to walk. He turned to his right, and a yellow door stared at them both before Coby reached forward with his free hand and opened it.

Behind the yellow door, was another hall, very much like the one they were in. Instead of windows, the hall had more multi-colored doors.

Coby walked in and started walking. He spoke softly, only loud enough for Yugi to hear him. "You won't be able to. Cassandra has this place guarded like a prison. She has surveillance cameras and alarms everywhere; windows, every door, and in every room." He looked around and spoke even softer, as if Cassandra was listening in. "One time, this group of boys were plannin' on sneakin' away, but Cassandra caught them right outside their room. Since then, no one has heard from 'em. And do you know how long ago that was?" Yugi made no movement to answer, but his heart raced in his chest. "Five months ago."

Yugi's head started to pound as he continued to tremble. Everything was confusing him; why he was here, why Coby was talking to him- being friendly-, why Cassandra did what she did, and why he couldn't hear his partner. Partner . . . YAMI! Yugi suddenly stopped shaking and shuts his eyes. No matter how far apart they were, they always had a mind connection between them.

Mentally, Yugi yelled into his mind. _'YAMI!'_ A moment passed, with no one answering him. This time, he screamed as loud as his mind willed him.

A minute or two later, a small dot of white flickered in the darkness of Yugi's mind. The white dot was very small; meaning the connection between himself and Yami was very weak. Even with the smallest of connection, Yugi could still feel his partners' presence, sending a small smile to Yugi's lips.

'_Mou hitori no boku!'_ Yugi yelled in his mind. (4)

The white dot flickered and a voice, so faint, Yugi had to strain to hear the the voice.

'_Aibou?' (5)_ Yugi barely heard the voice say. Just as Yugi figured, the connection was very faint and full of concern.

"Yes!" Yugi yelled in his mind. But as he watched with disappointment; the white dot began to flicker, but the voice sounded again.

'_Aibou! Where . . . you? I'm . . . worried and . . . barely . . . you."_

Yugi stared at the dot with tears forming in his eyes. They were too far apart for the connection to maintain its hold. But they were lucky to have at least have this conversation.

'_Don't leave me, Yami! I'm scared.'_ Yugi cried out, but the dot vanished. The last thing that Yugi made out is his partner yelling his name.

"Hey, Mr. Muto." Coby said.

Yugi's eyes flash open. Just realizing, Coby had stopped walking and was parked in front of a blue door.

Yugi stared at the door with curious eyes. "What's behind this door?"

Coby reached for the handle and opened the door outwards. "The basement. It's where you're gonna spend the next week an' a half at." A burst of cold air blasted into Yugi's face when the door was opened. He shivers against the ropes that still bind him.

The man started walking down into the darkness. From the light that shone from the hallway, Yugi could make out stairs, then a medium size room at the end of it. Coby called out from the stairs, "Hey, girls! Got some fresh meat for ya!" His tone wasn't soft and friendly as it had been when they were walking and Yugi could sense that whoever was down here, wasn't going to be friendly.

On the edge of where the light ended and the shadows began, Yugi saw movement.

"How long?" A young, melodic females' voice calls up. Yugi tried to squint into the darkness, but to no avail.

Coby continued walking down the stairs, his steps making slapping sounds against the wooden steps. He made it down the stairs and stopped on the leveled cement floor. "A week and a half."

Laughter echoed throughout the room with a different voice, ones that was a seductive purr. "Only a week and a half? Why not a month?"

Goosebumps form on Yugi's arms. _'I don't like how she said that . . . Something bad is going to happen . . .'_

"Shut the hell up, Dixie!" A different voice demanded to the second, sounding pissed.

Still positioned in Coby's arm, Yugi fidgeted. He still wanted to get out of here, more, now that he heard the voices. (6) Coby shifts the small boy a bit. "Well, Mr. Muto, good luck." He loosens his grip all together and tossed Yugi further in the basement.

Yugi landed on the concrete floor, inches away from where the light ended. Right away, his skin produced more Goosebumps, but this time from the cold. He immediately tried to sit up, but the ropes restrained him. Yugi then tried to wiggle, praying that the ropes would somehow loosen so he could make an escape.

"I'll be back soon." Coby's voice echo's around the room. Without Yugi even realizing it, Coby had already made it up the stairs. His silhouette figure was in the doorway, blocking most of the light. Nothing could be said as Coby walked out the door and closing it right behind him. That was the last bit of light Yugi would see for awhile. (7)

Kairi: Thanks for reading!

Joey: 'Bout time you re-did everything! You were confusin' everybody!

Kairi: Shush up, Joey. At least I did it! I love my reviewers and will do anything for them!

Tristan: *Slings his arm around Kairi* Well, as long as they review, right Kay?

Kairi: *Blushes* Th-That's not true!

Joey and Tristan: Riiiiiight!

Anzu: Will you boys shut up? Can't you see Kay is tryin' her best?

Yugi: yeah, but she still had to have me get kidnapped… *pouts still*

Kairi: Awww, not again Yugiiii!

1- I don't really know when they last saw the professor… so please don't ask. Oh, and for any of who wants to know, Rebecca stayed home while the grandfathers went on a dig. She wasn't allowed to go!

2- Don't get me wrong, If your thinking it, and you probably were, I'm NOT being races.

3- My editor asked me, "If that's true, then why does she make them go down to the basement instead of just doing it to them herself, huh?" -. - Well, to answer your question, She wants them to be a bit informed on what's going on. And, she also has all these others she has to pay attention to that are all ready experienced. (Explains further along.)

4- _Mou hitori no boku_ means either another me, or other me. One of them. I just really liked Yugi calling Yami that, instead of the English way, Pharaoh. It seemed like the two were more closer.

5- _Aibou _Means partner. Yami uses Aibou in the Japanese version. 3

6- Please don't ask…. I was having trouble thinking of something to right… so it might not make sense. Sorry.

7- Sorry it's so cheesy!

So what do you think? The second chapter is nothing like the other story! It's very different! So please review! I don't want to write something that no one's going to read… PLEASE REVIEW!

Re-updated. Everything should now be correct, if not, please tell me!


	3. Please, Tell Us!

**Updated January 5 2011**

Okay, I know that last two chapters sucked, but that's because I didn't really know much about the tenses. But I should have fixed them now. And I'll TRY to get the other two chapters fixed soon too. Sorry for any misshaps!

Please enjoy and leave a review! Brownie's for those who review! :p

-Kairi

Chapter Three:

"Yami!"Joey said, talking to the Millennium Puzzle he was holing it in the air by the chain. Tea, Tristan, and Mr. Motou all gather around Joey as he tried to coax the pharaoh out.

Mr. Hopkins had already left, saying that Rebecca was probably missing him back at home. He did wish them all good luck, hugged his friends, and said his farewell.

No one knew how Mr. Mutou managed to get a hold of the puzzle, but it didn't matter, all that mattered was getting Yami out of the puzzle.

The four of them sat outside, far away from the cops so that no one would notice a transparent person, if he ever decided to come out. They stood behind an empty building with the game shop still in sight.

"YAMI!" Joey tried again, but nothing happened. "Err . . . Why won't you answer me, damn it? Yugi's in trouble! If you don't come out and help us, we won't know how to save him!" The golden blond glared at the puzzle in frustration.

Tristan gave one of his best friends a wary look. "Dude, chill. Yami'll come out; just be patient."

Joey removed his glaring eyes away from the puzzle and aimed them at Tristan. "How the hell can I chill when our best friend just got kidnapped? If there's a way to help Yugi, then we'll find it, no matter what! I won't let nothing happen to him!"

"Joey, we all feel the same way," Tea said. Her voice was held in a whisper and full of pain. Joey looked at her, his glare softening a bit. "You don't see us throwing a fuse, though, so you need to calm down. It won't help us any if you keep yelling at the puzzle."

With the end of her sentence, the puzzles' eye started to glow its golden light. Everybody looked at the puzzle with both excitement and surprise.

A figure casts itself out and the light disappeared. The figure was transparent, but you could still see him. The pharaoh's back was turned towards his friends, and, after a moment, he still didn't turn around.

"Yami?" Tea softly called out.

Slowly, the pharaoh turned around but kept his head bowed and his shoulders slump.

When he doesn't respond vocally, Joey clenched his hand around the puzzle. "Yami! Answer us, damn it!"

"Yeah, we need your help!" Tristan added.

"Do you know the whereabouts of Yugi?" Mr. Mutou asked with a hint of hopeful wishing.

"I'm sorry, I do not." Yami finally replied, his voice full of pain and sorrow. He looked up at his friends, his voice matching his facial expressions. Yami's eyes, his usual proud, stern eyes, were as hollow and dead as a dead tree lying on its side instead of standing upright, while they also looked distant.

"What do you mean?" Mr. Mutou asked, his voice dropping to barely a whisper.

Yami adverted his gaze to the ground. "Yugi's presence . . . I can no longer feel him anymore. Under any circumstances, I can always feel him, even if he's barely there, I could still feel him. But now, his presence as disappeared all together. I'm sorry, Oji- San."

Mr. Mutou bowed his head in defeat. "No need to apologize; there was nothing you could have done."

Yami's head shot up. "There was a lot I could have done!" His voice was full of anger and regret, surprising everyone. Then, his voice plummeted so that he spoke softly, "But . . . I couldn't do anything. I could have kept Yugi safe if it weren't for . . ." He looked back at the ground, lost for words as his unfinished sentence lingered in the air.

"None of it is your fault, Pharaoh. If any, it is mine."

"WHAT?" All three teens, plus Yami, (1) shrieked as they stared at the old man.

Mr. Mutou just shook his head. "If I had been home, none of this would have happened. Yugi would be safe. Instead, he's who-knows-where and probably hates my guts." Newly form tears slide down his cheeks. "My only grandson has been taken from me and I wasn't here to help!"

"Gramps." Joey said gently, walking to the old man. He moved the chain so that it dangled around his wrist before placing both hands on the elders' shoulders. "This ain't your fault. Hell, it ain't any one's fault. So pull yourself together, 'cause we'll find him or die tryin'.

Mr. Mutou looked up and met Joey's eyes. He nodded his head and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. Joey gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze before he lets go.

"And Gramps," Once Joey has moved back to where he was standing, Tristan smiled at him. "Yugi could never hate you; he loves you too much."

Mr. Mutou eyes seemed to brighten.

"I've never seen anyone who loves their grandfather as much as Yugi loves you." Tea added, smiling encouraging at him.

"He's very lucky to have you." Yami replied. Mr. Mutou gazed at the pharaoh with thoughtful eyes. Yami's expression never changed except for giving the elder a sadden smile.

Looking into the teens eyes, Mr. Mutou could see the serenity. "Arigato. All of you." He looked to all of their faces and each one of them smiled and nodded.

After a few moments of silence, Tea looked up to the pharaoh. "Yami, could you please tell us exactly what happened? The police gave us a guess . . . but . . ."

When she doesn't continue, Yami nodded his head before launching into his story that only happened a few hours ago.

No one said anything, not even a gasp or small noise, but one look to each pair of eyes said it all. Mr. Mutou wiped his red, puffy eyes while Tea has a few silent tears escape her blue ones.

When no one said anything, Tristan, feeling like he was the one to say something, (Since everyone was emotional) said, "You sure that's the reason why the guy kidnapped Yugi?" He shifts from foot to foot looking uncomfortable. He couldn't even imagine someone wanting to do dirty things to a sweet boy like Yugi.

Yami nodded his head. "But if they lay one finger on him - -"

"- -They're going to die." Joey finished. He had placed the puzzle back in his hand and now, his hand was curled tightly around the puzzle that his knuckles turn white. "We have to find him, before anything happens to him."

"Don't worry, Joey, we'll find him." Tea says wiping her teary eyes. (Again.) "No matter how far away Yugi is, our hearts will always be able to find him. And . . ."

Tea immediately stopped talking when Yami mutters one word:

"Aibou?"

Everyone looked to see the confusion on Yami's face. He blinks once then shook his head as if to clear it. "Sorry, Tea; I just thought I heard . . ."

'_Mou Hitori no boku!'_

In an instance, Yami recognized the voice. "Aibou! Where are you? I'm- We're all worried about you!" Everything came out in a rush as he said everything aloud and through the connection he and Yugi shared. Taking a second, Yami recalled how soft his partner's voice was, taking it as a bad sign. "And I can barely hear you."

The gang looked at the pharaoh with wide eyes as they listen to him.

'_Yugi?'_ Tea mouthed questioningly.

Yami nodded his head and frowns. "But I can barely understand him. The connection . . . it's getting worse."

Yugi spoke again, but this time softer. _'Don't leave . . . scared.'_

The connection between the two broke then, leaving Yami alone.

"Yugi!" Yami yelled both aloud and as well as mentally. From the desperation in his voice, his friends seem to understand that Yugi was gone.

"We got lucky." Yami muttered.

"Lucky? What does luck have anything to do with this?" Joey barked out in anger. He glared off to where the afternoon sun burned brightly.

"The only reason why I heard him was because he was screaming." He said simply while his voice saddens.

The group fell into a tense silence for a while. Finally, after several moments, Tristan spoke up, breaking all silence.

"What did Yugi say?"

"He didn't want me to leave him . . . He was scared."

Tristan nodded his head. "So what now? We have proof that the connection between Yugi and Yami are too far apart. How else - -"

"Just shut up, Tristan!" Joey yelled as he returned his glaring eyes at him. Both Tea and Yami stare at Joey, clearly shocked with the outburst. "We'll find Yugi without the connection!"

Tristan returned the glare. "No, Joey. Don't you get it? We won't be able to find Yugi. If the connection barely held, that means Yugi is too far away, right?" He looked at Yami for confirmation.

"Yes, that is correct."

Turning his attention back to Joey, "Yugi could be out of Japan. He could be in the United States for all we know." Joey opened his mouth, but Tristan quickly continued on, leaving no room for Joey to speak. "Face it Joey, Yugi is just too far away for us to help. I really hate myself for tellin' the truth, but it has to be said."

Without even realizing it, the two boys had stood up during the heated conversation, both facing the other. Now, as if in defeat, Joey slumped down, sitting back down to the ground on a sitting position.

"I just . . . want to help him . . . but we have no leads." Joey mumbled. "Sorry, Tristan. It's just . . . without Yuge . . ."

"I know man." Tristan sat down next to one of his best friends.

Yami and Tea just sat on the ground, or in Yami's case, stood there. Yami had a distant look while Tea covered her mouth with one of her hands, worried about her friends. Once again, they don't say anything.

"You know," Tea spoke up, her voice sounding distant, "We're late for school . . ."

Tristan and Joey look at their female friend. Taking a deep breath of air, Joey mumbled, "Yeah, but one missed day of school doesn't really matter," _'Not like Yugi, who will probably miss a lot of school . . .'_ he thought. He rose to his feet, picking up his school bag that lay on the ground next to him. "I'll . . . see you guys later."

"Where're you going?" Tea asked, glancing up at him from her lap.

Joey shrugged. "Anywhere but school . . ."

The remaining of the group stood up, including the very quiet Mr. Mutou.

"Here, Gramps," Joey tried to hand Mr. Mutou the puzzle, but the elder shook his head.

"No, Joey. Out of any one of us, Yugi would rather you hold on to it until he gets back." Tears no longer slides down his checks, but he wipes them anyways.

Joey didn't seem surprised, knowing very well that Yugi would say the same thing. He looked at the spirit of the puzzle for approval.

"It's true, you're our best friend. With the puzzle in your hands, Yugi and I will feel safe knowing that you'll have it, keeping it out of harm's way." Yami said.

Joey nodded again, holding the puzzle firmly in his clenched fist. "So . . . I guess I'll see you guys later." Joey said after a moment had past.

"Same here." Tristan announced while grabbing his school bag that had also lay on the ground.

Tea looked at the two of them before looking at Mr. Mutou. "If you need anything, please, feel free to call one of us."

"Alright, and same goes for you three . . . four." He said including Yami.

Yami nodded his head. He turned towards his friends. "If you find any information, you'll tell me?" All three teenagers nodded their heads. "Thank you." Yami's transparent body starts to phase out and, once it completely disappeared, everybody looked at each other.

"Well, see ya guys later." Joey stated.

"See you."

"Byes."

Arigato- Thank You

Aibou- Partner

Mou Hitori no boku- other me

Oji- San- Grandfather or Grandpa.

1- I know Yami is like thousands of years old, but he's still considered a teen. My editor said that he ain't a teen, but he really is. Help me decide whose right!

Soooo, how is it? I think I did an okay job at fixing the tenses. I tried to make them all pretense and if ever it goes to a flashback, it should be past tense. Tell me if I messed up on it, I would gladly appreciate it.

And if you have any questions, comments, and/or concerns, just ask! I'd feel free to answer or make anything unclear go clear.

Please review! :D:D


	4. The Basement

**Updated January 08, 2011**

Well, I am soooooo sorry that I haven't updated this story! My editor forgot all about editing for like ever . . . . -.- So so sorry! My apologies!

Yugi: Woot! New chapter up!

Me: But . . . I thought you didn't like this story . . . *Confused*

Yugi: oh . . . right! Um . . . Well, uh . . . I'll just be leavin' then! Bye *Runs out of the house*

Me: -Sighs- Oi, I shouldn't have said anything . . . but secretly, I think he like's this story ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Nor any of the characters, only my own! ^^

Chapter four:

"Well, well, well." The voice from before, Dixie, as Yugi presumed, jingles. Her voice seemed to be rather close, sounding as if she was moving. "I guess we should get this show on the road now, shall we?"

"He just got here. We're supposed to explain everything to him first!" The other voice claimed.

"Oh, alright, Alex. But hurry up." Dixie huffed impatiently from an area further away than before.

Yugi's eyes started to adjust to the dark room. In the room, there were three beds that were pushed up against the wall, furthest away from Yugi; a few boxes; and a lot of dark objects he couldn't make out. As he's looking around, one of the girls started moving around the small room, going straight towards the beds. There, she then struck a match.

The sound of the match caught Yugi's attention. He looked over and saw one of the girls light what looks to be a candle. Once the candle was lit, the girl blew out the match and picked the candle up that had been resting on a bedside table. She then turned around and started walking towards Yugi.

` Instead of Yugi's body moving, his heart does; it felt like it was going a hundred miles per hour. From the candle light, Yugi could make out the girl's face; her eyes a dull blue and full of exhaustion, shoulder length brown hair, and her mouth was casting a grim expression. Her cheeks, along with any skin showing, were pale from the lack of sunlight and a bit dismal. The girl's clothing was tattered and somewhat caked with dirt. She was wearing either a pink or black tanktop or jean shorts. (He could tell which color because one, it was dark, and second, because it was caked with dirt…. Kind of))

While Yugi was observing the girl with the candle, he didn't notice another girl had appeared next to him until she was untying the ropes around him.

The boy lets out a squeak of surprise and jumped. The girl untying him has long blond hair that was pulled back into a pony tail, soft, dull brown eyes, pale skin like the girl coming towards them, and the same outfit as the other girl.

Finding his voice, Yugi barely asked, "Who are you?"

The girl looks up. "My name is Kisstiane ((Pronounce however)) Crities, but you can call me Krissy." She looked back down at the ropes and managed to untie the complicated knots. The ropes loosen, revealing the small boys body.

Feeling his hands go free, he used them to sit up, but the girl, Krissy, lays her hands on top of his chest and pushes him back down.

"What-?" Yugi uttered in surprise.

The other girl, the one with the candle, finally reached the two. She knelt down next to Yugi's head and placed the candle next to her side. Once the candle was out of her grasp, she gently lays her hand on his forehead.

Yugi immediately tried to flinch away from her ice cold hand, but Krissy pinned his shoulders to the ground with her hands.

The other girl looked into the boys fearful, amethyst eyes, and with a gently voice, she introduced herself. "My name is Alexandra Hatake, but please calls me Alex. We aren't going to hurt you; just give you information for what's going to happen in the upcoming days."

Yugi nodded his head, understanding Alex's message. "My name is Yugi Mutou . . ." His voice was a mixture of emotions; scared, sad, and politeness.

Alex and Krissy exchanged a brief look before Krissy asked, "You mean _the_ Yugi? The King of Games, Yugi?" Yugi nodded his head again. "Well, then you can probably help us!" She said rather quickly getting excited. "You see, we've been here for almost two years and - -"

"Krissy!" Alex's stern voice stopped her. Krissy looks away, taking a deep breath to calm herself. Alex explained calmly to Yugi, "Sorry. It's just . . . we've been here for awhile, and . . . since you're like, famous, it just caught us by surprise, that's all."

Yugi nodded his head yet again, still feeling confused. He doesn't talk as he watched Krissy calming herself as the cold hand left his forehead.

After a while, his back started to get numb, so he looked past Krissy, who still had him pinned by the shoulders, to see what he was wearing. It never occured to him that he is still wearing his light-blue silky pajamas. ((Don't ask, in the show, they look silky to me! DX))

Alex must have noticed for she says, "You know, it's weird." Yugi tears his eyes from his pjs to look into Alex's dull, blue eyes. "From all the boys that come down here, you're the only one still wearing clothes."

Yugi frowned. "Why is that?"

Krissy laughs with really no emotion. "All the boys that get thrown down here are usually naked."

Yugi's eyes widen and he gulps. "Naked? Wh- what do you mean?"

"They never told you why you're here, did they?" Alex asked. Yet she doesn't let him answer, instead, she grabs both of his wrists in hers and pulled them up so that they hover over his head. Using one hand to hold the both of Yugi's, Alex reached in her jeans pocket with her free hand and took something out. Before his mind could register what it was, cold metal clips around his wrists. She immediately lets him go after chaining his wrists together.

"What the?" Yugi tried to pull his wrists apart, but the handcuffs held them in place. "What're you doing?" He squeaked out.

Krissy removes her hands from Yugi's shoulders, letting Alex take her place in holding him down. She leans over a bit to stable the boy down.

"I'm truly sorry, Yugi, but we have to do this. If we don't, who knows what will happen to us." Alex whispered.

"Our job, Yugi, is to get you ready." Krissy said as she started to unbutton the boy's shirt. He peered down at Krissy and noticed for the first time that she was sitting on his legs. No wonder he couldn't feel his legs. ((Not that she was heavy or anything . . .)) "The boss, she wants us to 'play' with you and get you to understand what's' going to happen." She made it down to the middle button and continued.

"But, I don't _get_ what's happening!" He tried to squirm, but the pressure on his shoulder and legs increased.

As Krissy reaches the last button and she brushed the material aside to reveal his chest. The two girls slightly gasp.

Yugi's chest wasn't what they were expecting; instead it took them off guard. They thought, since he was so small, he would have a child's tummy, not one that was so muscular.

Krissy gently ran her hand over his chest, causing Yugi to shiver from her light touch. She stopped and rests her hand on his lean stomach, built nicely from lifting boxes in his grandfather's shop and used to running away from the bullies, before lifting her hand away.

Yugi looked at Krissy and noticed her eyes full of sorrow. When he looked away, his eyes met Alex's who's held the same expression.

Slowly and quietly, Alex lean down and whispers in Yugi's ear, "We're really sorry that things had to come to this. But . . . we weren't given a choice." The pressure on his shoulders and legs descended as the two girls got up.

Alex picked the candle up as Krissy called out, "Alright, Dixie, it's your turn." You could obviously hear the disgust in her voice.

Movement was made and quiet footsteps started moving towards Yugi. He looked around himself as fear twisted in his stomach. He looked back to the girls, but saw them walking away already.

The only boy in the room shuddered from the cold and his fear. Now that the girls were gone, he tried to sit up, but once again, a hand was on his chest, pushing him down. He lets out a squeak of surprise by the forcefulness and his amethyst orbs locked in place with these baby blue ones.

"Who're you?" Yugi asked, but something inside him already knew.

The girl was on her hands and knees, next to his head. She started crawling down towards his legs, having one hand slide down Yugi's bare chest. By the time she stopped, her hand rests on his thighs and she looks at him with a hungry look.

"My name is Dixie. I would tell you what I do, but it's more fun to show!" Dixie says, removing her hand from his thigh to bring it to his pajama bottoms. In one quick motion with her hands, she pulled his pants, along with his boxers, down to his ankles.

Yugi's body froze, petrified by the new turn of events. He tried to lock, ((Like if you don't want someone to move a body part, you tighten your muscles up)) his legs into place, but once his pants made it to his ankles, the girl places her hands on each of his thighs.

Dixie used force to pry his legs apart, but the small boy refuses, keeping them closed. After a moment of struggling, Yugi finally gives in, seeing how she wasn't going to give up. Dixie smiles widely, which gave Yugi goose bumps. She spread his legs far apart, much to his discomfort, before sitting on the concrete floor and leaned down.

Being as Dixie was in between his legs, Yugi slides upwards, surprising her. She frowns and scooted up towards him, but again, Yugi scoots farther up. After a few seconds of the continuing (Ness) scooting, Dixie finally had enough. She turned her raging eyes on him and as fast as lightening, grabbed his dick and squeezed hard.

A loud cry of pain emits from Yugi as surprise filled his expression, his eyes widening when she squeezes harder.

"Now Yugi, be a good boy. I can be very nasty with this if you deny me of my fun." She squeezes him once more before letting his shaft drop to the cold concrete floor.

Yugi barely nods his head, too afraid to say, or do anything.

XxxxX

(Okay, I must tell you. For all this dick stuff. . . . I don't like it and I SUCK at writing it . . . so if something don't make sense, you now know why! Trust me, if you think I did it okay . . . . Don't think that. . I suck at his, and I don't intend to get better . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .)

About half an hour later, Dixie had done it; given Yugi his first kiss and blow job. Though, in Yugi's case, he doesn't count that as his first kiss. For that half an hour, Dixie sucked not only his crotch but his ear, his neck and in one case or another, his nipple. As she did all the sucking- ness, Yugi had laid there; eyes shut tightly, while he made tiny, moaning noises in the back of his throat.

Dixie pushed off of Yugi and wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. She slowly stood up after pulling his pants back up. "I'll be back later. Don't go anywhere." She winks at him as she pats his crotch.

Inside of the sixteen year olds mind, Yugi's head was chaos. His mind was going so fast, it felt as if it was going to explode. He had so many feelings; his mind didn't know which one to process first. Process pain first? Or scared? What about crying?

Not even a minute later, a different hand, one that felt soft and was light to the touch, appears on his arm, causing him to nearly jump out of his skin.

"Yugi." The soft, melodic voice brought Yugi to flutter his eyes open. Sitting next to him with her hand on his arm was Alex.

"Alex . . ." Yugi whispered in a broken voice. Tears forms in his eyes then spills from them. "Why, why does this have to happen?" He sobs as he lets the tears continue sliding.

Alex brings Yugi's hands, still cuffed and over his head, down so that they rest on his bare chest before gently lifting his upper half up. She settles him on her lap before she places her arms around him protectively. For some reason, Yugi lets her, either not caring, or just needing someone to trust.

"Shh. It's going to be alright." She soothingly whispered, wiping a few of his tears away with her thumb.

Krissy walked over to them holding a blanket and a sleeve of what looks to be like crackers. She sat down next to them and wraps the blanket around the sobbing boy before she puts the crackers down next to them.

With Alex soothing Yugi with words and Krissy gently rubbing his arm, they stay quiet for awhile until Yugi falls asleep.

Alex looks at Krissy with a sorrowful expression. "How can someone want to do this to someone so . . . innocent?" She whispers.

Krissy looks at Alex with the same expression. "I don't know."

"We have to do something."

"Like what? If you haven't noticed, we're locked in here, Alex; there's no way we're getting out of here."

Alex looked down at Yugi who still had tears sliding down his cheeks. "I know . . . but, I can't stand seeing anyone looking like this. He looks like more like a kid who just got his toy taken away rather than a teenager who was kidnapped and was forced to have a bj! In one week, he'll practically be raped for who know how long!" This time, tears form in her blue eyes.

Krissy hugged her best friend. "Hey, it's going to be alright. He'll get through this, and so will we. I promise." The two girls stay quiet for a long time, listening to Yugi mutter things, hearing him whimper and cry while in his sleep.

XxxxX

A week and a half passed by. One loooooong week.

Dixie has just finished her job with Yugi and gets up, walking to her bed for a nap.

A few seconds later, Alex and Krissy appears next to Yugi and helps him sit up.

This became a daily thing for the week. Once Dixie finishes, Alex and Krissy takes her place, but they're only able to help Yugi relax and pass the time by telling him stories. After a few hours, Dixie would come back and force the two girls to leave. When she finished, once again, they came back and the process becomes a cycle.

Yugi learned a lot about the two girls and even a little about Dixie. Alex and Krissy are both sixteen, same age as Yugi, and that they are best friends. Dixie is seventeen and they all know each other because they went to the same school back in Tokyo before they had been kidnapped.

Alex is the oldest of her two siblings who are both girls and she has both loving, working parents. Her mom is an elementary teacher and her dad is a police officer. Her two sisters are twins, both eleven, and are very close to their older sister in relationship.

Krissy, on the other hand, was the youngest of four with divorced parents. She has an abusive father and an over protective mother. Krissy's four older siblings are boys who are all ready out of the house, and some of them are married. Except none of that mattered to her; she spent most of her time with Alex and her family.

Alex and Krissy explained all they knew about Dixie; that she is seventeen years old, a preppy slut who loves cheerleading and loves to have sexual relationships with the male species. That's about as much as they knew, or wanted to know about her.

Yugi told the girls a lot about himself but gave little information about Yami as he could. A few times, when they ran out of things to talk about, Yugi would explain the concept of Duel monsters and how to play. Both girls found the topic interesting and it calms Yugi down a lot.

As Krissy fed Yugi a saltine cracker, seeing as his hands was still locked together, they didn't have the key to unlock the damn handcuffs, the door that leads to the hallways upstairs, bangs open.

The light from the hallway streams into the basement, blinding the four teens. Yugi squinted his eyes while Krissy and Alex used one hand to shield their eyes.

A shadow blocks the light from shining in.

Quickly, but quietly, Alex lays Yugi on the ground whispering, "Sh . . . we aren't suppose to show you any feelings." He looked into her deep blue eyes to see far and sorrow fill them. He nodded his head in understanding.

"So, Mr. Mutou, enjoy your time down here?" A familiar voice booms out, followed by a harsh laugh. Instantly, Yugi recognizes that the voice belongs to Coby. Yugi doesn't say anything, and instead, just listens as Coby made his way down the stairs, his steps heavy and loud against each stair step. He left the door wide open so that he had light to go by as he descended down to the basement.

Yugi doesn't see, nor hear Krissy and Alex leave him as he lies still on the floor, his hands chained up and being half naked. (His shirt still unbuttoned)

"Well, well, well. Looks like they did their job." Coby said, stepping off the last step and walked towards Yugi. "How do ya feel?"

Yugi doesn't respond. Finally having his eyes adjusted to the light, he glares at the man, who was now squatting down next to Yugi, looking down at him.

"Well, as you can tell, the days have passed pretty quickly. The boss has waited long enough; it's time for you to be of use." Yugi stares at Coby with dull amethyst eyes, trying to hide the fear by appearing emotionless. Coby chuckled. He scoops down and picks Yugi up around the tummy as the boy lets out a squeak.

Securing the small boy under his arm (Like before), he stands back up and starts walking back towards the stairs. Calling out, "Hey girls, might be awhile till another boy shows down here. The boss has her hands full right about now." No one responds. Coby walks up the stairs, humming a tune too low for Yugi to hear.

Once up the stairs, Coby walked out of the open door way and closes the door behind him. All the while, Yugi's head spins with dizziness from the light and Coby jostling him as he walked.

Coby locks the door. "So . . . what do ya think about it down there?" He asked Yugi, trying for a conversation.

The young doesn't respond immediately, but thought about it. Since he couldn't say he liked it, ((Halfly because of Alex and Krissy)) he poundered on the question. Coby starts walking down the hallway and turns on the first right. Now he walked down another similar hallway.

After several minutes, Yugi replied, "I hate it . . ."

Coby snorts. "So do the rest of the boys. They found the blond chick creepy and disturbing. "

The two fall into silence for a while as Coby turns down another hallway.

"So . . . to inform you on what's going to happen." Coby starts up. Yugi looks up, from being in the hay-bell position, as he continues to talk. "For starters, you're here to be a cleaning servant and sex slave. Meaning you're going to clean the house everyday and, whenever it's your turn, you'll spend two full days with Cassandra, doing whatever she please. All day."

Yugi's amethyst eyes widened and his face drains what little color he has. _'That- that can't be the only reason! There has to be another . . . . But . . .'_He thought, but instead whimpers, "But . . . Why?"

Yugi could feel Coby shrug. "Don't know." He turns right, down another hallway. "I guess the boss just like teenage boys. They aren't too younger, they aren't too old."

"But . . . If she wants her house cleaned, then why - -"

"She likes watching boys work. Especially if she is in control of what they do." Coby state, cutting him off. "For example, one time she made all the guys clean naked." Yugi shivers, imagining it. Coby notices, "Yeah, I know what you mean. It was pretty awkward."

"How many guys are here?" Yugi whispers after a short silence. He hoped there weren't that many. It had been bugging him of just how many families and friends had to suffer because their love ones was stolen away from them.

Coby stays quiet from a minute, counting silently in his mind. "Um . . . twelve, including you."

Yugi doesn't say anything, just closes his eyes. Memories of his grandpa and his friends pop up, all of them smiling and laughing. Different memories of his friends pop up; him and Joey playing duel monsters during school, him and Tristan laughing at Joey's stupidity; him and Anzu just talking, but having one hell of a time; and him and Yami sharing many nights talking inside the millennium puzzle.

_'Guys . . .'_ Yugi thought. _'Help me . . . I know you can't hear me . . . so, I guess . . . just wait for me. I'll escape and I'll help the others. Just . . . wait, kay?'_

"Ah, here we are." Coby announced.

Yugi slowly opens his eyes to find a black door staring at him. Coby leans forward and turns the knob, letting the door swing open.

Coby walked into the room. What lies inside, surprises Yugi. There are at least ten bunk beds lining the walls and only six complete sets are full. (Meaning one boy got top, other got bottom. So six full sets taken up . . . o.o ) All the boys, who are lying on their own bed, looked up with dull expressions.

One of the boys, copper color skin with brown eyes and short black hair, stood up. "Who's this?" He nodded his head at Yugi, indicating him.

Coby stops a few feet from the boy. "This is Yugi Mutou. Just got out of the basement. Find his some clothes, will ya Mark?" Coby asks the boy.

The boy, Mark, nods but doesn't move.

Coby sets Yugi on his bare feet. Yugi held himself up, but looks down at the ground, his hands still chained in front of him.

"He's pretty small." Mark snickered.

Yugi looks up glaring.

Coby laughs. "True, but he gives a pretty good fight." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small golden key. He took Yugi's wrists into his and unchained them.

Yugi rubs his sore wrists and looks back down.

"Hey, Coby." A different voice sounds. "How long has he been down there?"

Yugi looks back up to see a tall brunette kid making his way down the ladders of one of the bunk beds.

Coby places the key and handcuffs (Which he took when he unlocked it) into his coat pocket. "A week and a half."

Murmuring starts up, but Yugi could only make out a few words. "Shrimp." "Inexperience?" "Tri-hair?" "An elementary kind, why is he here?" "Is that the one?"

Clearing his throat, Coby attains everyone's attention, shutting them up. "So y'all got all of you chores done today?" All the boys nod their heads. "Good. Well, make sure Mr. Mutou gets settled in. Night." He turns around without another word and exits the room, the boys all watch the door close, then the 'clicking' noise let them know it had been locked.

Every single pair of eyes watches Yugi, who fidgets uncomfortable.

"So, Yugi," The boy, Mark, said. "Welcome to this Hell hole."

Not knowing whether he is being sarcastic or not, Yugi doesn't reply. He just stays quiet and looked at Mark.

"Hm . . ." Mark started to walk around Yugi, examining him like he was a piece of meat. He completes his observation. Now he stands back in front of Yugi. Mark looks at the boys' chest, noticing the shirt is unbuttoned. (Still) "For a shrimp, you've got a well built body."

"Uh . .. . Thanks." Yugi mumbles, feeling self conscious. _'Am I suppose to take that as a complement or not?'_ He thought, confused.

"Hey Devin!" Mark yelled out suddenly. Yugi watches as a boy about his height with short black hair and blue eyes run up to them. All the while, Mark never took his eyes off of the one in front of him.

The boy, Devin, has a height look-alike with Yugi, for they both are short and have innocent looking eyes. ((Like when you look at Yugi, his eyes are cute and adorable and make you think of an innocent puppy! And if you know what I mean ;D ))

"Yeah?" The boy answers softly when he reaches the two.

"Help the 'helpless' boy find some clothes."

Devin nodded and turns his gaze to Yugi. "Follow me."

Yugi does as he's instructed, walking past Mark, who still haven't moved. As he walked past him, Mark whispers low enough for only him to hear, "Just because you're new here, don't expect that you'll get any special treatment, King of Games."

Yugi flinches by his cold tone and quickens his pace until he was right behind Devin.

Once out of ear shot, Devin looks over his shoulder at Yugi. "Whatever Mark just now said, just ignore him. He's a bad first impression. He's just trying to show you that he's boss."

"Thanks for the tip." Yugi said, gratefully but quietly.

The two boys walk to a closet at the far end of the bedroom. Devin held his hand up to stop Yugi before opening and entering the walk-in closet.

From inside the closet, Devin started talking. Whatever quiet he had displayed earlier was replaced by a normal chatter. "So, I'm guessing you're probably my size . . . So . . ." A pair of blue jeans came flying out of the closet. Yugi manages to catches it just in time before they hit the ground. "You can try those on. If they don't fit, then we'll come back for a different size. Um . . . and here!" This time, something gray flies out. Catching it, Yugi takes a look at it and realizes that it is a gray hoodie.

Devin then came out and watches Yugi. "We aren't allowed to have shoes or undergarment. We do have a bathroom with a shower, thought. Come one, follow me!"

The two boys walk a few feet to another door, leaving the closet door wide open. Devin opens the new doorway first with Yugi trailing after him.

Inside the room, or should I say bathroom, there were stalls and sinks. One of the doors to the stalls was left wide open, revealing a toilet and a shower. The Bathroom was fairly large, considering it hold six to seven stalls and many sinks. In one corner of the room, lays a large cabinet but it was closed.

"You can take a shower in any of the stalls. The cabinet- -" Devin said, pointing to the cabinet Yugi was just looking at. " - -holds towels. And . . .oh! The soap should already be in the stalls, if not, then just look in the cabinet; some should be there."

"Thanks." Yugi said, a half smile planting itself on his face.

Devin nodded and returns the smile.

They stand there in silence for awhile until Devin mumbled, "You know, it's not that bad here."

Yugi, who had been examining the bathroom, looked at Devin. "What do you mean?"

"Yeah, we have to do things we don't want to, but it's not all that bad. It could be worse. The boss, she gives us things." Even as he spoke, Yugi could see the fear in his eyes.

Yugi just shook his head. "She can give us the world, but this would still be hell. If she thinks she can do all kinds of stuff to us and think that giving us presents will make things all better, then she better think again." Instead of Yugi's soft, gently voice, he used a cold, determined voice that represented the pharaoh's.

Devin gives Yugi a big grin. "Just what I wanted to hear. I really think you're the one, Yugi; the one to set us free."

Confusion spreads across his face. "You're the second person that said that."

Devin kept his grin. "If I'm the second, then it must be true." He shook his head as if to clear it. "Anyways, I'll leave you now. You must want a shower and some place warm to sleep."

The confusion vanished leaving Yugi nodding, his face looking grateful.

"Just holler if you need anything." Devin waved a short goodbye to Yugi before exiting the bathroom, leaving Yugi with only his thoughts for company.

XxxxX

Yugi took one more look around the bathroom before going to the cabinet for a towel. _'Do they really think I can help them?_' he thought. He opens the cabinet and takes a look at the towels.

The cabinet was stocked with nice, fluffy looking towels, all arranged neatly. There is only a few missing from the top.

Yugi took a towel and closed the cabinet door. _'If I can't even get myself out of this situation, then what makes them think I would be able to help them? I just got here . . . basically . . . I don't even know the whole situation.'_ He goes over to one of the stalls, closes the door behind him and leans against the door. Tears form in his eyes. _'I don't know what to do. I'm too weak to be able to save anyone, let alone myself. Yami was always the one to save everyone . . .'_

"Yami, what would you do?" Yugi askeds out loud.

Till next time!

Krissy: Really? Quote, "Not that she was heavy or anything . . ." Really? So you're saying' I'm fat?

Me: What? No! That's not what I meant! Honest! *Looks around for help.*

Krissy: *Walks towards the writer with a death wish*

People walk into the room.

Joey: Hey, chick, what're you doing? If you kill the writer, then we'll never find our pal!

Krissy: *Looks at Joey and rolls her eyes.* Fine . . . you win this time but - - Why did she just fall over?

Me: *Had fallen over*

Yami: *Quickly runs over to check on her* It's alright, she just fell asleep . . . it what, am?

Yugi: She loves her readers very much . . . . Just not me! *Pouts*

And editing is so hard! I don't think I'm doing it right on putting the right past tenses!

-/\-\o/-

Wow, I saw that on this facebook thing and it was all like, "Swim little person, swim for your life or the shark will eat you! Hahaha, highlight of my day! ^^


	5. The Others

**Updated January 08, 2011**

Chapter five:

_Eight months later:_

A blond high schooler, wearing a blue shirt, blue jeans and a white jacket, sat on one of the many park benches with a golden object sitting next to him. (The object sits on the bench) The blond leaned back against the bench and closed his eyes. It almost seems as if he was asleep.

"Eight damn long months and there's still no information." Joey said out loud to no one in particular.

For those few people who walked past him, they all saved him looks that clearly said he was crazy and quickened their pace.

"There have been no leads." A gloomy voice replied back. Joey opened his eyes and tilted his head to his right. Sitting next to him, hunched over with his fingers crossed, was the pharaoh; still transparent.

"I know, but do you know what makes it worse? The police had to put aside the 'incident' saying that it was a dead search."

Yami could hear the bitterness in the blonds' voice, but says nothing. He knew very well how Joey was feeling, but today, Joey's hatred was just a lower form of anger than what he usually showed. Through the eight months with Joey, Yami understood his pain; anger; and his depression. He himself was (Felt) the same, but it was all ten times worse. Once in a while, Yami would listen to Joey blame himself from something he wasn't even a part of.

Both boys' sighed.

XxxxX

"Joey's still the same." Tea said worriedly.

Tristan looked up from his coffee cup to find the brunette gazing out of the window of the coffee shop. Her head was resting on her propped up palm.

"Yeah, but he _has_ calmed down some."

Tea nodded. "How long has it been, Tristan?" She tore her gaze away from the streets of Domino and to watch her male companion.

"Eight months and still counting." Tristan sighed. He took a sip from his coffee and sets it back down on the table.

Tea nodded her head yet again. She lets out a breath of air. "Nothing has been the same since Yugi left. Joey rarely acts like himself, Yami rarely comes out of the puzzle, and Mr. Mutou barely opens the shop. I understand the pain, but it's just . . ." She doesn't continue.

"Yeah, even Kaiba hasn't been his normal, stuck up self." Tristan mutters.

XxxxX

_**Flash Back:**_

The bell had just rung, indicating class has started. The teacher, who was already sitting at his desk, started to call out attendance. The student's in the room started to talk softly among themselves, all except for a few people.

Tristan had his forehead resting on his deck; his body was physically there, but his mind wasn't. The same goes for Tea. The young brunette had her hand propped up on her hand and with her eyes gazing out the window.

The door to the class opened and a familiar blond walked in. The teacher looked up and with an annoyed expression.

"Well, glad you could join us, Mr. Wheeler. Please take your seat."

Joey didn't acknowledge the elderly man, but just kept walking to his desk. Those who knew Joey for his loud, cocky-ness watched him suspiciously before resuming their own conversations.

The blond sat down with a heavy sigh. Tristan and Tea looked up to Joey, nod their heads in greeting, and then went back to whatever they were doing.

"Wow, this is a first." A snobby voice spoke up a few desks away.

Joey looked up from his desk, along with his two friends. Seto Kaiba, the young CEO, looked at them calmly.

"Shut it, money bags. We're not in the mood." Joey lashed out.

The young CEO smirked. "Heh, whatever. So, where's the 'King of Games'?" He gestured to the empty seat next to Joey's.

Before Joey could respond, the teacher, who was still calling attendance, called out, "Mr., Mutou?" He looked up and scanned the room when there was no reply. "Yugi Mutou?" His eyes landed on Tea, Tristan, and Joey.

All three fidgeted beneath the stare of their teacher, causing Kaiba to inwardly laugh.

"Um . . . Mr. Lendar . . ." Tea piped up. She looked at the teacher as the room fell silent. All the students started watching her, curious as to what she had to say. Yugi always got perfect attendance; he never missed a single day of school. "Yugi . . . he won't be here for a while."

Mr. Lendar raised an eyebrow. "And why is that?"

When Tea doesn't say anything, Tristan spoke up. "Something happened . . . yesterday morning."

"Oh?"

"Well, it's not our place to say. But all we _can_ say is that he won't be here for a while."

Before Mr. Lendar could speak, Kaiba snorted. "What, did the 'King of Games' get kidnapped or something?"

Whatever was keeping Joey calm, snapped. Standing and turning to Kaiba, he growled, "As a matter of fact, he did. So shut the fuck up, Kaiba. No one here gives a shit that comes out of your mouth."

~*Dead Silence*~

For once, Kaiba was speechless. The too nice kid, that always tried to become friends with him, was gone . . . just like that.

Something golden caught the young CEO's eye. Turning his attention to the source, Kaiba was confused. Why did the mutt have Yugi's most prized possession?

Being so deep into thought, Kaiba missed Joey storming out of the room. All was quiet for no one knew what to say.

"Well . . . um . . . yes," Mr. Lendar stammered. "Let's get class started, shall we? Mr. Kaiba, where do you think you're going?"

Kaiba had stood up, gathering his belongings. He walked to the closed door and held his phone up. "Business calls." He walked out the door that had been previously opened by Joey.

Walking down the hallway, he dialed a number on his cell phone as he held the receiver up to his ear. No longer than one ring and someone picked up their line.

Muttering in his normal, cold tone voice, "I need every search team out looking for Yugi Mutou." He closed his phone with a snap. "The only opponent worth dueling and he got himself kidnapped. That's not allowed."

_**End of Flash Back:**_

The two friends sat in the coffee shop, quietly sipping their coffee.

"Why does everything have to happen to Yugi? He's such a sweet, nice kid!" Tea wipes a fallen tear from her cheek.

Tristan shrugs. "I don't know, Tea. If I did, then none of this would have happened." He tried for a smile, but it turned out to be a grimace.

Tea, also forcing one, smiles a bit. "Yeah, we'd protect him if we knew what was going to happen." Tristan nodded his head.

XxxxX

((Sorry, but the brothers are a bit OOC . . .:/ But it makes them cute that way, and shows Kaiba's love for his brother.))

"Nii-sama? It's been eight months."

Seto Kaiba stopped typing on his laptop and looked at his little brother. "Mokuba, we've been through this." He said, a bit impatient, "The search teams have been looking everywhere, but there is no trace of Yugi Mutou. They've tried everything, and I even helped. But nothing."

Mokuba, who supported a red and white striped, long sleeved shirt, long blue jeans, and his long black hair, looked at his brother with blue orbs. "But, we have to find him!" Tears form in his eyes_. 'Yugi always helped me and you whenever we got into trouble. Now it's time to return the favor!' _He thought.

Kaiba sighed before standing up from his chair. He walked around his desk to his little brother and knelt down in front of him. The young CEO pulled his little brother into a tight hug. "I've tried everything I can. But there is nothing more than I can do." He told him gently.

Mokuba buried his face in his brothers' shoulder before nodding a bit. "It won't be the same if Yugi doesn't come back. How could it be the same without him?"

The two boys, Yugi and Mokuba became very good friends from everything they've been through together. Yugi treated Mokuba like he treated his friends and in return, Mokuba helped Yugi if he needed anything.

"He'll come back. If not today, then maybe tomorrow." Kaiba reasoning said. His little brother pulled away, wiping his teary eyes.

"You're right, Nii-sama. Thank you." Kaiba smiled stands up, and walked back to his desk. As he sat down, Mokuba said, "Sorry to interrupt you."

"It doesn't matter. I needed a break anyways."

XxxxX

_Bing!_

The door to the game shop opened and a blond haired boy walks in.

"I'm sorry, but we're closed." A sullen voice calls from the back room.

A man, probably in his mid sixties came into view. He wears blue overalls, a white, long sleeve shirt, and a red bandana that covers most of his spiky gray hair.

"I'm going to have to ask you to - - oh, Joey! How're you?" Mr. Mutou asked, a bit surprised.

Joey walked further into the shop and stopped at the counter. "Hey gramps. Doin' okay, how 'bout yourself?"

"Oh, I'm okay." Mr. Mutou replied.

"You sure? You don't look fine." Joey said softly, gesturing towards a few tears sliding down the elders face.

Mr. Mutou smiled sadly. "It's just difficult, Joey. One minute I think he's upstairs doing his homework, and before I know it, the whole house is empty." He sighed.

"Yeah, never felt like he left." Joey agreed. "Until he doesn't say anything."

Silence covered them like a blanket for a crying baby. ((Some kids stop crying when you cover them with a blankly)) In the background, the clock softly clicks with each passing second.

After a while, Mr. Mutou breaks the silence. "So, Joey, what can I do for you?"

Joey blinked twice before remembering why he came here. "Oh, I just came here to see how you were doing."

The elderly man nodded. "I'm hanging in there, Joey. Thank you."

Joey smiled, "No prob, but it's getting late so I better go." They both look at the clock that hung behind the counter. It read 8:46pm.

"Well, be careful going home, Joey."

Joey turned around and started heading for the door. "I will, Gramps. You keep hangin' in there, too." Mr. Mutou nodded even though the blond couldn't see.

The teen walked out of the shop and slips his hands into his pockets. Tied around his belt loop of his jeans is the millennium puzzle. The golden object gently bumps against Joey's leg as he continued to walk.

"He's still the same." He mumbled to the puzzle. The object casts a faint golden glow before going out. "Yami, what the hell are we suppose to do? He's sufferin' so much!" Yet, the puzzle doesn't do anything, nor does the transparent pharaoh appear. Joey sighed as he rounds the corner, still heading for home.

Till next time!

Sorry it was a short chapter! But, it's up! XD

And, I can't promise that the next chapter will be up as soon as this . . . I'm kind of in writers block . . . which sucks money butt! Like, I already have the next chapter written out, I'm just adding things, but I'm in writers block with adding! Uuuugh! DX

But, because I'm in writers block with that story, and the only way I can write to Transforming is on the computer, I've been writing to a new story. If you like Naruto, you should read it! XD And just so you know, from this story and my two others, I'm not the best writer, so the Naruto won't be good. :/

Thanks for reading! R&R!


	6. A visit and a memory!

Hey everyone! Sorry it's been a while since I've last updated, but . . . . Sorry? Hehehe and**, I just wanted to tell y'all . . . . . which I'm so very sorry for the confusion, but, I reaaaaaaaaaally hate writing in pre-tense for this story. You don't know how badly I want to pull my hair out because it frustrates me! So, from this point on, I'm changing the tense to past tense. Whenever I get the chance, I'll go to the other chapters and update them. So sorry for messing everything up! T.T**

Yugi: About time if you ask me!

Shush up Yugi! And I thought, again, that you didn't want me to keep writing to this story!

Yugi: *Looks away* I just wanna know what happens, alright?

Of course you do, wanna do the disclaimer?

Yugi nods his head, but before he could, someone pounces on his head.

Joey: Kairi don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or any of us!

Yugi: Joeeeey! Get off! *He whines*

Chapter six:

_Six more months later:_

Two small boys are on their hands and knees on the floor, with a bucket of soapy water in between them. They softly talk to each other as they mop the already cleaned floor with their rags.

"Hey, Yugi, wanna continue our duel after we're done with chores?" One of the boys asked. Devin leans back, stretching his back. Over the year, Devin' short black hair had grown so that it hung in his eyes. He swished his bangs out of his eyes so he could see the other boy.

Yugi pushed his sleeves up, not wanting to get his hoodie sleeves wet. "Um . . . maybe not today," He answered. Devin's face dropped but suddenly goes to a smile. "But tomorrow?"

"Sure! I was thinking, maybe _this _time I can beat you!"

Yugi gazed at the boy with a determined look. "You sure about that?" Devin nodded. "Well, we'll see tomorrow. No one could beat me, well, maybe if Yami tried he - -"Yugi quits talking and looked away.

Devin mentally slapped himself. "Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring him up; I was just tryin' to cheer you up."

"I know," Yugi shook his head. "But, you don't have to be sorry; it's not your fault." He stood up and dropped his rag into the bucket. "Come on; let's go see if we can get a snack before we do the remaining of our chores."

Devin stood up too, but he only nodded, afraid that he brought up sad memories of his yami; memories that could put Yugi in a very depressed mood.

The first month Yugi was here, was probably his worst. (Like everyone's!) He was picked on many times from Mark and a few others about his appearance and about dueling; his height, hair color, and, well, dueling. (Don't ask, this sentence SUCKS!) But, what really surprised Devin, was Yugi ignored them. Whenever they picked a fight with him, trying to fight him, he simply just walked away even though that pissed Mark off.

Like everyone, it took some time to get use to life under Cassandra. For the first few months, everyone; all the guys, cried and had that scared look to them. (1) Yugi was one of them, but liked the others, he stayed strong. He _was _scared, but he never showed it. He _did _cry, but he never let anyone hear it or see it.

It had taken a few days for Yugi and Devin to become friends, yet, it took a lot longer for them to share their life story with each other. Devin was the first to open up; he talked a lot about his family and friends. Devin is the middle child of three; he has an older brother named Derik, age nineteen and a younger sister named Dezi, age fourteen. He has two loving parents and a group of loyal, great friends. In school, he was a quiet and shy kid, well, except for when he was with his friends; all his shy-ness vanished and a cocky side of him replaced it. He was an overall A student when it came to grades, sometimes with some B's, but not everyone is perfect. The small boy wasn't very good at card games, but dominated anybody that challenged him to a video game. (Random!)

The two boys walk down one of the many, windowless halls. Devin looked over at Yugi, who still had his hands in his hoodie's pocket. His head is casted down, but Devin could see a teary amethyst eyes.

Devin's stomach twisted itself in a knot. How could he bring Yugi to think about Yami? Even worse, talk about him?

Back when Devin was talking about himself, Yugi started to open up, but much slower than Devin. He first talked about his grandfather and their game shop. Then, he explained each of his friends, including the Kaiba's. And let's not forget all the duels he has ever participated in. One thing Yugi never mentioned, for it was somewhat a secret, was his yami, until it slipped out when Yugi was describing one of the many duels against Kaiba.

Devin got curious about Yami, so he asked about him. Yugi didn't know what to do when he asked. He thought it would have been better to not tell him anything, but decided against it. So he explained that Yami was a spirit, living in the millennium puzzle and that he usually took over during duels and dangerous times. (i.e. Shadow Games. :P ) However, Yugi didn't tell him about their mind connection.

From the way Yugi talked about Yami to Devin, you could tell they were really close. Instead of Yami being a three thousand year old pharaoh, he was like the modern older brother. (That's what it sounded like to Devin) Yugi always spoke about the duels they shared together. (2)

"Hey Devin, what's today?" Yugi suddenly asked, snapping Devin back out of his thinking world.

"Twenty-seventh of April. It's Thursday. Why?"

Yugi looked up from the ground at his friend, all traces of tears gone. "I have to go see the girls today." He smiled in a cocky, but sad smile.

Devin's blue eyes widen. He lowered his voice as the two continued down the bare hallway. "But, you're going to get caught this time!"

Yugi just shook his head. "I'll be quick. I've been doing this at least four times a month. Just be my lookout, kay?" Yugi pleaded with his eyes. He gave him his best puppy dog eyes he could manage.

Finally, after a few moments of pleading, Devin sighed in defeat, knowing that he always gave in too quickly. "Oh alright, but you have to hurry. The boss has those cameras's everywhere and I'd hate to see something happen to you, Yugi!"

By now, they arrived at a black door; the door leading down to the basement. Yugi, instead of leading Devin to the kitchen, lead him to the basement door without his knowing.

"Alright, just give me five minutes and I'll be back up. If not, then knock on the door." Yugi said before opening the door. Devin nodded and took he handle from his friend. Yugi stepped lightly down on the top step, then to the second one when the door closed behind him, leaving him in utter darkness.

About halfway down, Yugi called out in his normal voice, "Alex? Krissy?" He stopped and rested on the wooden step, listening for movement further down.

"Yugi?" A familiar female voice asked aloud. Alex.

"Yup," He started back down the stairs, quicker this time. At the last step, two figures awaited him. Two girls, who are both taller than him, one of the girls now has long brown hair, but instead of her normal dull eyes, they are bright with cheeriness. The other girl has warm, chocolate colored eyes and dirty blond hair that went all the way down to her waist.

"Hey Yugi!" Krissy walked up to the boy and wrapped her arms gently around him. Yugi hugged back, a bit awkward and nervous. Having to be around Cassandra when it was their day left the boys feeling weird when they come in contact with girls.

They part and Krissy took a step back. Even though it was still dark down in the basement, you could still see. There was one window that leads outside, it doesn't let in a lot of light, but enough that it illumed the darkness. ((Right wording?)) Yugi looked to Alex and found her smiling at him so he smiled back.

The three didn't take long to exchange their greetings; the girls knew how Yugi couldn't stay down here for very long.

"So, have you thought of anything?" Krissy asked.

The small boy had been going down to the basement four times a month to gather any information about Cassandra he couldn't get from upstairs. While he's also down there, he and the two girls try to come up with any escape plans they could think of. So far, no luck.

Krissy, Alex, and Devin all think that Yugi is the one to help everyone escape and shit Cassandra and her charade down, but Yugi thought negative of it, though he still tries to help out.

"Well, kind of. You know how Cassandra goes out twice a week?" Yugi stated. Both girls nod their heads. "Well, she keeps everything locked up and - -"

"You want to try and unlock everything?" A voice said behind Krissy. Dixie walked up to them, rolling her baby blue eyes. Today, her hair was put into a high pony, though it was sagging a bit. "Yeah, like that's going to work. If we _do _manage to escape, she'll come after us, no matter what. She's going to have to be like, tied up or something."

Yugi grinded his teeth in annoyance, as well as Alex and Krissy. Instead of being scared of Dixie, he hated her. When he was down in the basement the very first time, he had a right to be scared. Now, he just finds her annoying.

"As much as I hate to admit it, Dixie's right." Alex said glumly. "If we _do _manage to escape, it's a guarantee that she'll be after us." Yugi opened his mouth to add something but Alex already guessed it. "She'll make it to us before we have a chance to look for help."

"We still, after three years, don't know exactly where we are." Krissy added.

Yugi's shoulders drooped a bit. "Yeah, I know, but that's all I've come up with. How 'bout you guys, thought of anything?"

Both girls shook their heads. Then, as if rehearsed, (which probably was, considering that they've been doing this four times a month, every month) they all sighed.

"Hmph. This is sad." Dixie snorted. All three pair of eyes rested on her face. They all thought that she had left their three-man group. "After, what, five months, this is all you've come up with? Aren't you supposed to be a genius? Always have a plan?"

Yugi puffed up like a plow fish. "It's really hard to think of something when you're in our position!"

"'Ours' meaning you and the other boys?" Dixie asked, rolling her eyes. Yugi nodded, still angry. "Well, how is it supposed to be hard when all you boys ever do is clean and have sex with Her?"

Yugi opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Yet, thanks to Alex, someone did.

"They don't have 'sex' with Her, she practically rapes them! They don't have a say in anything!"

"Tsk, whatever. Sex, rape, same difference. At least they're living comfortable while we have to live in the dark, dirty basement . . ." With that, Dixie turned around and walked back to wherever she appeared from.

"Er . . .! She drives me insane! Sometimes I just want to k- -" But Krissy got cut off by three soft knocks at the basement door.

Both Alex and Krissy looked at Yugi in alarm, but he just shook his head at them.

"It's alright," He reassured them. "It's just Devin. Either my five minutes are up or someone's coming."

"Oh, okay," Alex said, sounding a bit relieved, but then, in an urgent voice, "but if someone's coming, then you need to get out of here!"

"Oh, right!" Yugi was about to turn around to run up the stairs when Alex grabbed his wrist. Yugi looked at Alex, his amethyst eyes meeting her bright blue.

"Yugi, we'll keep thinking of something. There has to be a way!" Alex exclaimed.

Yugi nodded and Alex lets go. "I won't stop thinking either, I promise." He smiled. "But, I have to go now." Alex nodded. She and Krissy watched him turn around and sprint up the stairs, his bare feet making no noise against the wooden steps.

By the time he made it up the stairs, another three soft knocks sound, but this time sounding more urgent.

"Be careful!" Alex called out as Yugi opened the basement door. He glanced back, his smile still perched on his face before slipping through the door.

Once the door closed, leaving the two girls (plus Dixie, wherever she was) in almost darkness, Krissy softly elbowed Alex in the side.

"You like him, don't you?" She asked with a smirk on her face.

Being glad that she couldn't see the blush that made its' way on Alex's cheeks, she responded, "What? Of course not! Why-why would I like him? That's stupid! Why would you think such a thing?"

Krissy shrugged her shoulders with the smirk still on display. "Okaaaay, whatever you say, Al. Whatever you say." She walked away from her still blushing friend, trying real hard to stifle a laugh.

XxxxX

Yugi opened the door quickly but quietly and almost knocked Devin over in the process.

"Yugi! Mark's coming! I heard talking and went to go investigate. He should be here any minute!" Devin said, forgetting about everything else and jumping out of the way. Yugi stumbled, but quickly caught his balance.

"What?" He looked at his friend with wide eyes. Every time Mark showed his face around Yugi and Devin, there was always trouble. "Is it just him or is he with the others?"

"Um . . . I didn't see anyone else, so I think just him. We need to get out of here before he shows up. You remember last time we crossed his path?"

Yugi did remember.

Flashback!

_ It was late one night. Yugi and Devin had just finished their daily chores and were walking down the hall towards the bedroom they shared with all the other guys. As they were walking, Mark and his posse came out of one of the hall doors. They were talking about something, probably something funny for they were all laughing. But, when they caught sight of the two boys, they immediately talking. _

_ "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Mark asked, looking over the two boys._

_ One of the guys behind Mark, Greg, as Yugi noticed, has short white hair, wearing a red hoodie and had black jeans on, looked at the two smaller boys and smirked. _

"_Man, just who we were lookin' for too." He said._

_ Yugi stood his ground, looking firmly up to the guys, but Devin hides halfway behind him._

_ Two of the other guys, Sokko, who slouched; has bright, long orange hair that was pulled back into a loose pony tail, and has purple eyes. The other was Leon who has a rich boy stance, blond hair and blue eyes, with his blond hair spiked up. ((Yum! ^^)) The two snickered from Devin's cowardness._

_ "What do you want, Mark?" Yugi demanded._

_ Mark laughed, which invited the others to laugh with him. He took a step towards Yugi. "Well, we," he indicated himself and the three other guys who stopped laughing, "Needs to let some of our steam off." The boy started to circle Yugi and Devin like they were prey._

_ Yugi stood planted firmly to the ground ((Still)), but his eyes trailed after Mark. "And? What does that have to do with us?"_

_ Mark laughed again. He continued walking, now on the other side of the boys. "_What does that have to do with us?"_ He mimicked Yugi. "Heh, well, let me tell you, 'King of Games'; I hate you. I hate your guts and just wish you'd leave. Just because you're famous out there, doesn't mean you're going to be famous in here!" (3)_

_ As Mark walk talking, Devin leaned over and whispered very low into Yugi's ear, "Why does he speak of this now? Everyone already knows how much he hates you."_

_ Yugi just shrugged and whispered back, "It's best to just let him get it off his chest."_

_ "Are you going to do anything about it?"_

_ "What's there to do?"_

_ Mark faced Yugi and Devin now. "You know what?" He doesn't give Yugi anytime to respond and, instead, he walked up to him and punched him in the stomach. Yugi doubled over, causing Devin to jump back and Mark and his friends to laugh. "I need to let all of my anger off and what better way to do so then letting my anger off at someone I hate?"_

_ Before Yugi could straightened back up, much less defend himself, Mark punched him in the jaw. The force from the impact caused the smaller boy to fall to the floor. _

_ "Yugi!" Devin squeaked out._

_Greg looked at him. "Oh, don't think we forgot about you, short stuff." He walked past Mark, just as he kicked Yugi's side, grinning, and grinned._

_ Devin started backing up, horror filling his blue eyes._

_ "Devin!" Yugi managed to say through his clenched teeth._

_ Before Yugi could even get to his feet, Mark kicked him again. "I didn't say you could speak!" He bent down and grabbed Yugi by the front of his hoodie and lifted him up._

_ Yugi's feet dangled a foot above the ground. He glared at Mark as he goes numb. He learned the hard way that if he moved while being held, he got hit harder, leaving nasty purply, blue bruises. Bringing his fist back, Mark threw the punch at the kid's stomach again, knocking the breath out of Yugi._

_ Meanwhile, Devin kept backing up as Greg continued to come closer and closer. Finally, after several seconds, the wall came in contact with Devin's back and Greg smiled even bigger._

_ "Looks like luck's not on your side, Shorty." He arrived in front of Devin and like Mark, grabbed the small boy by the front of the hoodie and lifted him into the air. The horror in Devin's eyes doubled. _

_ From behind Greg, he heard Yugi take in a loud intake of air. From the sound, he got punched in the side much harder._

_ "Pay attention, shrimp." Greg said, snapping Devin's attention back to him. "It's best if you don't hang around Yugi. If you do, expect more beatings. If you want to keep your pretty face unmarked, then drop the friendship bond." He brought his fist back and was about to swing and make contact with the boys face (Who squeezed his eyes shut) when a hand suddenly stopped him, grabbing his fist in mid-swing._

_ "Fighting ain't allowed, kid_. You should know that." A familiar male's voice rang out. "Let the smaller one go."

_ Greg released his grip on Devin, who landed lightly on his feet, before turning to Coby, a glare set on Greg's face_. _Mark let out a frustrated growl before stopping his kick. He turned around to face Coby and he also glared. Sokko and Leon, who were watching and snickering, quickly became quiet and followed in Mark's and Greg's lead with a glare set on their faces._

_ Coby dropped Greg's fist and crossed his arms against his chest._

_ "What do you want, Coby?" Mark asked, clearly showing his annoyance._

_ Coby walked over to the group (Greg moved to stand next to Mark) wearing a grim expression. "I thought I told y'all fighting wasn't allowed?" As he was talking, Devin scurried over to Yugi and helped him up. Yugi wiped some blood from the side of his mouth with the back of his hand. "You know how pissed She's going to be to see him," he pointed to Yugi, "all lookin' like that?"_

_ The four boys shrugged._

_"Hmph. Last time I'm coverin' for you four. Next time, I'll let Cassandra deal with y'all herself. And trust me she won't take pity on ya."_

_ "Heh, whatever." Was all Mark said, but everyone else stayed quiet._

_ Coby, however, kept talking, "Anyways, where are you four supposed to be?"He asked, indicating Mark and his posse. When they don't answer, Coby said, "Alright, don't answer, but good thing I know where you _all _are supposed to be; in bed, asleep. Come on, get moving."_

_ He herded the six boys down the hallway; in the same direction Yugi and Devin were headed before Mark had stopped them._

_ As they walked, Yugi and Devin in the front, then Mark and Greg, followed by Sokko and Leon, and ending with Coby, Mark leaned forward and said to Yugi, "Consider yourself lucky; you got out of your beating today."_

_ Yugi didn't turn around, but says only loud enough for Mark to hear, "Really? Well, next time perhaps _you _won't be so lucky."_

_ "And why's that?" _

_ Yugi didn't answer, instead, he just kept walking forward. Devin glanced over his shoulder to see Mark leaning back with a hateful expression on his face. _

_ "Yugi," Devin whispered, looking back over to his friend._

_ "Yeah?"_

_ "Are you really going to do anything?"_

_ Yugi smiled slightly and looked at Devin. "Don't know. Just said it so he'd stop bothering us." He shrugged his shoulders and went back to looking forward. _

_End Flashback:_

"Yeah, I remember." Yugi said, idling rubbing his jaw. He blinked a few times and shook his head to clear it. "But, yeah, we need to get out of here. Come on!"

The two boys start walking in the direction they had come from a few moments ago. But they didn't get very far when a voice stopped them.

"Hey, where do you two think you're going?"

Both boys froze and looked at each other. Slowly, they turned around. Mark was walking at a fast pace towards them, and thank the gods that he was alone and not flanked by his groupies.

"We . . . were . . . . Um," Devin stumbled out as Mark arrived in front of them. He narrowed his eyes as Yugi jabbed Devin's side gently with his elbow.

"We were going to see if we could get a late snack before returning to our chores. What are _you_ doing?" Yugi asked.

But Mark ignored Yugi's question. "Huh, yeah right. You both know dinner is in half an hour. Can't you wait?"

"Really? It's already seven?" Yugi asked, pretending to act surprised.

"Duh, dumb ass. Can't you tell time?" Mark snapped.

Devin stayed quiet while Mark and Yugi talked, still afraid that something could possible slip if he tried to talk. He shuffled from foot to foot nervously, getting uncomfortable.

Yugi noticed and calmly told Mark, "If you will excuse us, we still have chores to attend to." Before he gives the older boy any time to respond, Yugi grabbed Devin's arm and pulled him away from Mark.

The two walk at a fast pace until they left the hallway through a door. They slowed their pace once they made it into the next hall.

Devin looked over at Yugi. "Man, Yugi, you sure the stories (The ones he swaps with Devin when they were trying to get to know each other) about yourself are true?"

The tri-haired looked confused. "Of course, why?"

Devin shook his head and smiled. "In your stories, you said you were the quiet one and was always honest and nice. Every time we bump into Mark, you're the opposite; sticking up for yourself and for me." He stopped when his friend smiled.

"Yeah, I guess that I've watched Joey and Tristan and all of my friends stanjd up to bullies enough that it rubbed off on me. They'll neber believe it whenever I tell them" A few tears prickle at his eyes, but he blinks them back. "And Devin, don't apologize. It actually makes me happy to think about them." Devin had opened his mouth to apologize, but Yugi had stopped him.

"Thank you really."

"You're . . . You're welcome." Devin mumbled, embarrassed.

After that, they continue to walk in silence until they got back to the spot they were cleaning. That's when Devin started to ramble.

XxxxX

Well, sorry its been so long! But, there you have it! My present to you! ^^

R&R

MERRY CHRISTAMS AND HAPPY NEW YEARS! HOPE IT'S YOUR BEST YEAR YET! ^^ 3

It was only for the first few weeks for each guy and they cried softly ;) lol

He don't really go into details about each game, especially when he talked about the shadow realm.

Out there real world, in here the mansion: the guys


	7. The Mark

Well, I am happy to say, I have 18 reviews, and 844 hits!

Yugi: That's it?

Me: Well, excuse me. It is very hard to get even past 3 hundred hits. . .

Yami: Yeah, but your other story has over 3 thousand hits.

Me: ….. It's because that one's cuter . . .

Yugi and Yami: *Rolls eyes*

Me: Just do the disclaimer already! You're making me sad . . . ish.

Yugi: Kairi doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Nor me or any of my friends! Just the ones she made.

Me: Enjoy . . . . :/

One more thing, just a reminder, the tense is now past tense! I don't even know why I wrote in pre-tense . . . . errrr! . Past Tense!

And, so sorry it's been a long time for an update!

Chapter seven:

Dinner was done and over with. (Spaghetti, garlic bread, and salad. Mmm) All the teenage boys, (all twelve of them) were in their room, asleep on their beds. Well, all except for one.

Yugi lay on his side, curled tightly into a ball. His eyes started blankly off into the distance while his left palm stretched open, his right hand rubbing the middle of his palm, almost as if massaging it.

Without even realizing it, his fingers started to trace the old, burned flesh embedded on his skin. His thumb traced he letter 'C' first, before slowly going over the 'S'. His mind sighed.

**Flash Back:**

_"Hey, Mr. Mutou."_

_ A young, small boy looked up from his lap. He sat cross legged on the bed that was his and he slowly got up when his name was called. _

_ A man, as everyone knew as Coby, waited by the door as he watched Yugi climb out of bed. "Hurry up, we don't have all day." He said, half heartedly. _

_ All of the boys, who either was lying down on their beds, talking with one another, or playing one of the many games that were scattered across the floor in one area, looked up. Every one of their faces expressed a grim expression like they knew what was going to happen. (Which they did, ;) )_

_ Yugi walked past Devin, who wasn't friends with him yet. He was rubbing his left palm while looking avoiding Yugi's gaze. Yugi furrowed his eye brows but continued walking._

_ Once the small boy made it to the door, the atmosphere had gone from slightly cheery, to a ghost town; dead and quiet._

_ "Huh, well . . . carry along guys." Coby said. He turned around and walked out of the door, gesturing with his hand for Yugi to follow._

_ Yugi obeyed and walked out of the room. (A/N The door was closed by one of the boys after Yugi left)_

_ The two walked in silence for a while until Coby spoke up. "So, how do you like it here?" He looked over his shoulder to find Yugi shrugging. "Heh, not wanting to talk? Well, that's fine. No one usually wants to for a while once they get here."_

_ Yugi just shrugged again. He'd been here for two weeks, the first down in the basement . . . . And the second above ground doing chores. Life was hell, so up until this point, he didn't care what was going on and didn't feel like speaking to anyone._

_ Coby continued to talk, however, Yugi just tuned him out and zoned out. He didn't really think about anything. If you looked into his mind, it'd probably show you a blank sheet of paper, much like how you get a paper and you're suppose to write an essay about some dead guy you know nothing about._

_ After several minutes of random talking from Coby, the two stopped at a metal door, the only door like it in the entire mansion. Yugi looked at it curiously, but stayed quiet._

_ "Well, here we are." The larger man said. He opened the door and beckoned Yugi to go in first. He did as he was told and entered the room._

_ Inside was lightly lit with a fire burning in the fire place in the back of the room. The fire was small and had an object sticking out of it. A metal table and wooden chair sat near the fire. The whole room was small, almost looked like a normal bathroom size. But, other than the fire and table and chair, the room was empty. (A/N Pretty boring, ain't it? And I was thinking about making the room look bad ass . . . Sorry xp )_

_ "Go to the table." Coby instructed him. He closed and locked the door behind him before walking over to the table. The locking noise made something in Yugi's stomach lurch. _

_ Yugi walked to the tabled and stood beside it, watching as Coby made his way to the boy. Once at the table, Coby ordered, "Now, place you hand on the table, no you left hand, with the palm facing upwards." Yugi did so. "And now," Coby reached under the table, found whatever he was looking for, and pulled it up. Before Yugi could even process what was brought up, the object clicked itself against his hand._

_ Yugi let out a startled yelp. On his wrist, was an odd looking contraction. It would remind you of hand cuffs but the metal extended to that it clipped around the fingers, holding them opened. You couldn't even bend your fingers in anyway. The metal was attached to the table, so the victim couldn't go anyway._

_ "W-what's going o-on?" He stuttered._

_ Coby crossed over to the fire and knelt down, grabbing the object out of the fire before standing back up. He crossed back over to the boy. _

_ "Once you're here, you need some sort of mark that bounds you to Cassandra. Something that'll always remind you where you're at and who owns you. Cassandra and I, we were thinking about a tattoo, but that can always be removed. But this method, there's no way of getting rid of it unless you cut it off." Coby held the object up so Yugi could see what it was. When he caught sight of it, his blood ran cold. What Coby was holding was a branding stick with the initials CS connected to it. The metal was still burning red as Coby walked closer._

_ "This might hurt a little." Coby said._

_ The stick came closer and closer until it was hovering over Yugi's palm. The heat radiated off the metal in waves, each one making the boy flinch. Then, without another moment to lose, the metal came in contact with the flesh._

_ An ear piercing scream tore its' way out of Yugi's mouth. The pain, the pain felt like a hundred knives piercing his skin all at once. The pain felt like dipping your hand in boiling water for a few minutes. The pain, it felt like someone shoving your hand in a grinder. No, it felt worse than all of those things, so bad that he could even describe what it felt like. _

_ Coby left the burning metal on for a few minutes to make sure that the mark would stay and not heal up. Finally, when he did pull the metal away, the flesh underneath it was brightly read; irritated, greatly, and some of the skin was bubbling a bit, in an odd way that it shouldn't. He looked down to the boy to see tears streaming down his face._

_ Yugi's eyes were squeezed shut and his screams died down. His right fish was clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. The boy was breathing through his clenched teeth while his left palm still burned. _

_ Coby, unlike Yugi who didn't move, walked back to the fire and placed the branding stick back where he had found it. He didn't say anything, just had a guilty look upon his face._

**End of Flashback:**

The sounds of people softly talking aroused Yugi from his sleep. He blinked his eyes open and quickly covered them with his hand, trying to shield his eyes from the bright sun light.

"Mornin', Yugi!" A cheery voice said.

Yugi slowly opened his eyes again and rubbed the sleep out of them. "Good morning, Devin." He said. He blinked his amethyst eyes and half smiled at the boy who plopped himself down next to him.

Devin moved over a bit to give Yugi room to sit up. "So today, I thought we could work in the kitchen. I don't really wanna wash the floors again." He continued to chatter away, making it easy for Yugi to not talk except for the occasional 'yes' and 'uh-huh'.

Everyday since Yugi and Devin became friends, Devin would wake up and climb down from his bed (A/N He and Yugi shared a bunk bed and Devin has the top bunk.) and chat away until it was time to take showers, get dressed, have breakfast, and go back to doing chores. So today was a normal day, whatever you call normal for them.

Yugi stretched and yawned. "Do you think we should get a head start taking showers?" He asked Devin, when there was a pause.

Devin nodded and yawned from the sight of Yugi yawning. He stood up and gathered his clothes at the end of the bed. "  
At least we'll get a chance at the hot water . . . for once." He said with a playful smile.

"Yup," Yugi also gathered his clothes. Then, with Devin walking next to him, they head towards the showers.

XxxxX

After showering and getting dressed, the two boys headed down to the dining room where their breakfast awaited them.

"Hm . . . I hope there will be pancakes!" Devin said rather excitedly.

Yugi smiled before asking, "Devin, what makes you so happy every morning?"

Devin looked over to Yugi and also smiled, "I dunno, I've always been like this. My parents always said that, as long as they've known me, I've never had a bad morning. A few years ago, I told people that every day was a new day and that you should welcome it with open arms, and a happy, energetic mood."

Yugi's smile faltered a bit. He once told his own friends something similar, but instead of happy mornings, it was about friendship. He sighed, catching Devin's attention.

"What's wrong, Yugi?"

"Hm . . . alright." Devin shrugged. The two boys didn't even get two feet before Devin started up his normal chatter. "So, did you wanna work in the kitchen today? I don't remember you answering earlier."

Yugi chuckled, "Yeah, fine by me."

"Okay, then we'll probably have to sweep the hallways after we get done. The kitchen usually doesn't take all day. Well, that is when you're working." He beamed from the memory of him and Yugi doing kitchen duty one time. The two were supposed to be cutting vegetables for lunch, but because they got bored, they started to play a little game involving who could throw the carrot the farthest. The head cook got really mad and kicked them both out for a month.

The two boys continued to walk and talk as they made their way down the hall for breakfast.

XxxxX

After breakfast, Devin successfully had his pancakes while Yugi ate some toast; he wasn't very hungry, the two boys made their way down to the kitchen where they were put to work peeling and cutting potatoes and carrots. There were many carrots, but today, there was none flying in the air.

An hour later, they finished cutting and peeling, but were sent to wash and cut the lettuce. The green vegetable didn't take very long, so when they were done, the head chef sent them to wash the dishes.

Now let me tell you a little about the kitchen. When you work in it, it's all work and no play. (You know what happens when you play. ;) ) When you're in the kitchen, the chef will tell you what to do and you did it. If you refused, you were kicked out. The chef had a short attention span, if you ask me.

"Man, I don't wanna see another dirty pot again!" Devin whined as he and Yugi left the kitchen, done with everything they were assigned to do. The blue-eyed boy turned over his pruned hands to look at his fingers. His small hands were red from scrubbing the pots and also red from the hot water.

Yugi rolled his eyes. "But, it's better than washing the floors, right?"

His friend shook his head and let his hands fall back to his sides. "Nah, I think I'd rather mop than nearly break my arm off trying to scrub pots. The floors are already cleaned. The pots, not so much."

They continued walking, passing other boys who were doing chores; some washing the already cleaned floor, washing the spotless windows, and some who weren't even doing anything.

Some of the boys looked up when Yugi and Devin walked by, but then they quickly looked away. No one really cared about Yugi, but they do think he's the one to help them escape, much like Alex, Krissy, and Devin. Sometimes at night, when Yugi lays awake on his bed, he could hear the others try miserable to whisper. (They talked to loud) They always argued about him being the 'one' and the one to save them, while the others only argue, saying the opposite. Though, through it all, Yugi ignored them, knowing that both sides were right. He's been thinking non-stop for ways to escape, but everything has been a no-go.

Yugi quickened his pace, surprising Devin a bit. As they quickly retreated down the hall, the working boys looked back down again and continued to clean.

"Hey, Yugi, what's up?" Devin asked once he caught up to him.

They turned a corner and Yugi continued his pace. After about a minute or two, he slowed down to a normal speed.

"Nothing . . . I just didn't want to be over there any longer." Devin nodded, but pressed ob for more information, curious. "Why? They didn't do anything, did they?"

"No . . . it just felt . . . weird."

"Odd? How?" He stopped walking and planted himself to the floor.

Sensing that his friend had stopped, Yugi stopped as well and turned around. "What's wrong Devin?"

"Yugi, if people are talking about you, just ignore them. Whatever they say, it's not true!"

"You mean like I'm the one to help them escape?" He asked his voice solemn.

The kid fidgeted. "Oh, uh . . ."

"How am I supposed to help everyone, Devin? I can't even help myself out, let alone everyone else. What am I supposed to do?" He crossed his arms against his chest, a confused look upon his face. "Every one of the guys expects me to come up with something. Is it because I'm well known? Or . . ." He cut himself off, unsure of what else to say.

"Something like that." Devin mumbled, his voice dropping an octave. "Before you came here, Yugi, all of us guys were discussing a plan to get out. But we were lacking something, brains. Having brains to think everything through, everything out, and stargazing all the routes to escape.

"We heard of you on TV about you dueling. Some people said that you could strategize ten moves ahead when you're dueling or playing a game. When we heard that, we wished we had you among us because you would've been able to help us. And on that same day, you walked into the room. Everyone was surprised and just well, surprised."

Yugi uncrossed his arms as his friend continued. "We were all really excited, well, all except Mark, but he has his own reasons. With you here, we could be free." He took a deep breath and watched his friend, unsure of what his reaction would be.

Yet, Yugi just nodded his head. "Well, that makes more sense. But, I just can't think of anyway . . . to help everyone. Cassandra has us all. She's thought everything through; from locking the doors at night, to the security cameras."

Devin's expression dropped.

Yugi bit his bottom lip before adding, "But, that doesn't mean I can't still try to come up with something." Devin smiled real big, "It's going to be difficult for us to escape, but I'll still need everyone's help."

"Don't worry, Yugi. Everyone' got your back."

XxxxX

The two boys ((A/N I need to find a new words for that… :? )) continued to do chores. Just about an hour or two ago, they were in the hallway, talking about Yugi being the 'one'. Now, they were sweeping the floors, but instead of Yugi's mind concentrating on cleaning, the talk he had with Devin kept replaying in his head.

_'There has to be a way to escape. There's always a way, I'm just not thinking hard enough!'_

If you were wondering, Yugi and Devin had to split up about half an hour ago since they were sweeping. Cover more ground sweeping separate than barely moving sweeping together.

The tri-haired boy continued to sweep the hallways alone, thinking about freedom.

_'There's no way to escape without leaving someone behind.' _He gripped the broom tightly without even realizing it. One of his thoughts was to have someone stay behind to keep Cassandra occupied while the rest made their escape. _'There's always another option . . . one that Joey would think of . . . one that would involve the police and a burial and . . .NO! Why am I even thinking of that? That's not my personality! Violence is never the answer. So . . . what _is _the answer?'_

_ 'After a year and a half, I'm just now thinking about an escape plan.' _He continued down the hall, not aware of where he was heading. '_Well . . . no, that can't be right. I remember thinking all year but nothing ever came to mind. What am I going to do? This has to be the month to escape, no other. We need to put a stop to Cassandra and her sick mind. No more rape, no more of her 'pleasure', no more of this! We need to - -.' _

His train of thought broke. Yugi swept past a door that was cracked open a bit with a faint glow illuminating from the room, along with voices. He froze in mid-step. He should have continued walking, but what the voices were saying made him stay. He walked over to the door and leaned against the wall, trying to make it look as though he was just taking a break.

"Yes, I was thinking about getting another." A female voice sound and instinctively, Yugi recognized the voice as Cassandra's.

_'Getting another what?' _Yugi thought.

"How long has it been?" A deep, husky voice asked. No mistaking it, the voice belonged to Coby.

Movement was heard behind the door before Cassandra spoke. "The last one was Yugi. A year and some odd months ago."

"Ah, Mr. Mutou. I can't believe it's been that long already. It felt like only yesterday I was at his house." Coby laughed.

Yugi heard Cassandra's soft laugher before adding, "Yes, and he still acts like he's new. Every time we get into bed, his mind obviously goes distant and he's as still as a log throughout the session." She sighed as if remorseful.

_'Huh, I wonder why?' _Yugi sarcastically thought, glaring at the door. Though it was true, that's how he acted every time it was his turn to spend two days with Cassandra. She did all the work; he distanced himself as much as possible with her. Usually, he thought about all the duels he's ever participated in, then he would think about his and Yami's dueling deck.

"Huh, well no wonder; he still had that innocent look." Coby stated. "We need to break him if you expect anything to happen."

From the sound of her voice, Cassandra was smiling. "True . . . but, I don't know. He's still pretty cute and I don't really want to break him . . . yet."

Replacing the glare on his face, Yugi's eyes doubled in size. His grip on the broom tightened.

"Oh, before one of us changed the subject," Coby said, getting back on track, "you wanted to get another. Where?"

Once again, Yugi's attention changed, his expression growing curious now.

"Hm . . . I was thinking about Domino City again." Yugi's heart nearly stopped. "I was looking at some of the photo's you collected. There were about three of them, but I made up my mind about which one I want."

"Really? Who?"

"He's one of Yugi's friends. He also has a millennium item."

_'No, Ryou!' _Yugi nearly yelled. Thankfully, he caught himself before a word could even form. Ryou was one of the bearers of the millennium items. He had the Millennium Ring.

More movement was made; the sound of paper shuffling and squeaking of a chair. Yugi stayed where he was, crouching.

"Oh really. Then that wouldn't be a problem. We fixed that when Mr. Mutou came." Coby said.

_'Fixed? Fixed what?'_

"Yes, we did. Good thing too; the pharaoh would have found some way of finding Yugi. Good idea, Coby." Cassandra practically purred. "Researching the millennium items and finding that plant to minimize the connection between the spirit and their hikari's.

Tears of anger sprung to his eyes. _'They messed with our connection! They . . . Yami!' _

"But, just make sure Yugi keeps eating his dinner. That's where the poison works." Cassandra said calmly, but you could hear the authority in her voice.

"Will do. Was that all? The boys are probably wanting lunch by now." Coby said.

There was a pause. Then "Yes. Oh, but tonight, make sure Yugi is ready. It _is _his night."

"Sure thing. So, how did Leon's night go?" Coby asked, getting off of track again.

Yugi didn't stay to eavesdrop anymore; he had heard enough. Making sure the broom was still in his hand, he ran down the hall as quickly and quietly as he could manage.

He learned a few new things today that he could probably use further on: one, Coby and Cassandra were going to kidnap Ryou. Probably because he has a millennium item and lives alone. Two, tonight was his night to go with Cassandra . . . well, that's not really new news. And three, they poison him to weaken his and Yami's mind link. And that's not allowed.

XxxxX

Well, there you have it, chapter seven! Sorry it took so long! I'll try to make sure the next chapter doesn't take this long! ^^

I wanted to thank all my readers and reviewers. I love y'all so much! ^^ Y'all make me happy that you actually can't wait to read more! ^^

One more thing before I let you go, I was needing help. I wanna change the title of this story, but I can't think of anything to change it to. Any suggestions?

R&R please! Thank you for reading! ^^


	8. Cassandra

Thanks for all of the reviews! ^^

And I do have to say, the thoughts that y'all came up with, Yugi starving himself to talk with his yami, I never even thought about that! :o Like seriously, it never came across my mind! But, I like y'alls guesses!

OH! And, I got a new yami, her name is Lisa . . . . and ... yeah, beware of her! xD Enjoy!

**DISCLAIMER: **** ll kairi ll does not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Nor any of its characters, just her own! ^^**

Chapter eight:

Yugi waited on his bed, lying down with his arms crossed behind his head. Dinner was done and over with, meaning that in about an hour, lights would go off.

For supper, they had chicken strips with mashed potatoes, a salad, and had brownies for dessert. Even though the dinner sounds yummy and amazing, (in my opinion XD) Yugi barely ate anything. Since hearing that Cassandra put something in his dinner to make his and Yami's connection _not _work, he didn't have much of an appetite, so he just moved his food around on his plate to make it seem like he ate.

Tonight of all nights, was the beginning of Yugi's turn to spend two nights with Cassandra. He thought to himself many times that he would rather take all the math tests in the world than go with her. But sadly, he didn't get that option. So right now, the young Yugi Mutou laid on his bed in wait for either Coby or Cassandra to come and get him.

Yugi looked around the room he shared with all of the other eleven guys. The other boys were either reading a book, playing card games, which Devin was playing a game of 'War' with a guy named Lee, or playing the X-Box 360, which Mark and his three friends, Greg, Sokko, and Leon, were doing. This was what happened every night after supper and chores; you just relax before bed time.

As he was looking around, the door to the room opened and someone walked in.

Out of instinct, considering this happened quiet often, Yugi got up off his bed and started to walk towards the door. No one looked up, they just continued doing whatever they were doing, even Devin,

"Good evening, Yugi." A seductive voice said as said name made it to the door.

"Hi, Cassandra," he mumbled to the red head.

Cassandra smiled and gently placed her hand on Yugi's back, leading him out of the room. Once the door closed, the two walked side by side down the hallway.

Today, she was wearing a spaghetti strap, royal blue dress that went down to her knees. She had three-inch black high heels with black dangly earrings and a matching black necklace. Yugi, on the other hand, wore what he usually wore; his gray hoodie and blue jeans. ((A/n if you were wondering, all the guys have like three sets of clothes, but they all match. Like, Yugi has three gray hoodie's, and etc. :P))

"So, how was your day, Yugi?" Cassandra asked. She looked down at the small boy from the corner of her eye.

Yugi shrugged. "Good."

"Eat enough for dinner?"

"Yeah."

They continued to walk. Cassandra would ask Yugi questions in which he would answer, usually a one or two worded answer, but better than nothing, right?

Before long, and after many turns down hallways, the two came to a door marked with a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door knob. Cassandra brought a key from the top part of her dress ((Every girl's pocket ;))) and unlocked the locked door. She then opened the door and beckoned the boy to go in.

Stepping into the room was like stepping into one of those romantic settings you only see on TV. The room was illuminating a red glow in a natural way; the dark red catches your attention like a fat boy to an all-you-can-eat dessert layout. A large king-sized bed stood opposite of the door with the head-board touching the northern wall. See-through red drapes hung over the bed, making an almost like canopy of curtains. To the left of the room is the dresser that held up a large mirror with girly accessories and make-up around it and a bathroom door closed next to it. To the right of the room and next to the bed, was a bed-side table containing a lamp and an alarm clock. Also, to the right, was a huge window that was being covered by a long, thick curtain, not letting an ounce of light to seep through.

About half way into the room, Cassandra closed the door behind her and started to walk towards Yugi.

"You know the drill honey; strip and get on the bed."

Yugi didn't move. Having done this so many times, (About twice a month for as long as he's been here) he was tired of it. Now, don't get me wrong, he was tired of it all the other times, but now, he was going to do something about it. Why does he have to do what she says?

Suddenly, he could feel a presence behind him. "If you want, I could always help you." Cassandra whispered, sexily.

Yugi gulped but didn't move. Instead, he shook his head. "I'm not doing this anymore, Cassandra. This is sick and wrong."

Ever so slowly, the billionaire, ((Yes, she's rich, AKA big house?)) walked around him until she stood in front of the boy. Bending down so that they were eye-level, she spoke, "do you want to know what happens to boys who don't do as I want them to do?" Her voice held an edge to it, but surprisingly, it was smooth like its normal mother-y like. ((A/n I know, it's contradicting! But . . . I didn't know what else to say!)) Yugi didn't know what to do so he didn't do anything. Cassandra continued, "They end up being 'introduced' to my garden."

Yugi's eyes filled with confusion. _'Introduced to the garden? What does that mean - -," _His eyes widen as he remembered from so long ago when Coby told him a short story on his first day here.

'_One time, this group of boys were plannin' on sneakin' away, but Cassandra caught them right outside their room. Since then, no one has heard from 'em. And do you know how long ago that was? Five months.'_

His eyes widen as he realized what she meant and he tried to hide it, much to his fail. Theirs many different ways to explain the garden, but all Yugi could think of was death. He remember watching this CSI show on TV a long time ago about a mom killing her son and when the police asked her why she buried him in there, she just said, "He wanted to see my garden so much and I asked him, 'Do you wanna be introduced to it?'" So, in a way, being introduced to an unanimated object meant dying in order to meet it. Cassandra, saying she had 'introduced' those guys to her garden, meant she killed them and buried them in there.

Cassandra smiled at his reaction. "You know, if you were to tell someone, I'll also have to introduce _you _to my garden. So, how 'bout we keep this a secret just between us, hm?"

Yugi barely nodded his head. So many thoughts were swarming his brain that he couldn't sort them out enough to speak.

Cassandra stood straight again and walked away from him, going towards the dresser to take her jewelry off. From across the room, she called out, "Now, do as I say and get in the bed."

Like a plane that was set on automatic, his body moved by itself without a consent from his brain. He walked over to the king-sized bed. The dark red, see-through curtains was already pulled back and tied to the posts. Ever so slowly, he pulled his gray hoodie off over his head to reveal his bare chest. Then, he slid his blue jeans off.

The teen hesitated, looking at the bed with much discomfort before feeling the same presence behind him once again.

A cool hand rested on his shoulder. "Come on," Cassandra said, almost encouraging like.

Yugi squared his shoulders before he felt a cold metal click against his right wrist. This was standard; whenever you go with her, she would chain your wrists to the bed to make sure you couldn't escape.

Knowing that there wasn't anything he could do, Yugi slowly climbed onto the bed. He sat near the pillows, facing the door. Cassandra moved with him, her bare chest touching his shoulder as she laced the hand cuffs through the head board and clicked the remaining cuff to his other wrist. Trying to be gentle, but with a hungry expression that didn't turn out to be gentle, Cassandra pushed the boy down so that he was lying on his back before having her fun.

XxxxX ((FYI sex or rape could go on for as long as you want . . . :0 Lisa: And how would you know that…? Shush up; I watch and read a lot of shows/ books. -.- ))

What felt like years later, when really it was only hours, the red head curled up against Yugi's side and started to make little circles on his chest.

While Cassandra did what she did to the poor soul she's with, the boy goes off into la-la land. (Like I said before). For example, let's use Yugi. He always sets his mind and body in auto pilot and always goes into la-la land. In his own world, he relives his memories because they give him comfort and lets him remember his friends. It takes his mind off of what was happening to him. Now I know you're curious what I mean when Yugi's body goes into auto pilot, what do I mean by that. Well, I mean that it kind of just does whatever Cassandra wants it too. I want to go into details on explaining, but I find it very awkward . . .

Anyways, Yugi blinked his eyes clear from a daze/ he moved his head a fraction towards the end of the table next to the bed and looked at the alarm clock. Little red numbers glared at him and it read 2:56am.

_'Ugh . . . it's only been a few hours.' _He whined in his head. _'Just until tomorrow evening and I'll be free.' _The thought sounded nice to him.

Cassandra sighing brought Yugi's attention back to her. She had her head resting on his shoulder and she wiggled closer to him, even though they were as close to each other as they could possible get.

"You know, I've been thinking," she said sleepily. ((She's awake now)) Her finger started to make circles on his chest again, sending chills up along his spine.

"What have you been thinking?" Yugi asked his voice full of dullness. If he didn't reply or say anything, bad things would happen, Not as bad as killing, but more like extra chores, no dessert (:P) _extra chores, _or when worse comes to worse, spending an extra day being with Cassandra.

The red head brushed her lips against his neck. She kissed it, then started to make her way up until her mouth was next to his ear. "I've been thinking of a lot of things." She whispered. Her hand stopped moving.

Yugi swallowed a bit nervously, but managed to stay quiet.

A few minutes passed by and she still didn't say anything.

_'She get's like this every time. It's like this is a drug to her.' _Yugi thought, remembering the last few times she acted very similar to this.

Finally, Cassandra started talking again but it seemed like she was more like, drunk sounding. "I wanna tell you something that you should know. It's a secret, so don't tell anyone."

Yugi frowned. _'This . . . is different.'_

"I know all about the Millennium Puzzle and the person living it." She giggled like a little girl. Even though Yugi had already heard this, accidently eavesdropping on Coby and Cassandra, his body went still. "I even know about yours and his connection."

She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear before resuming the circling on his chest.

"I already know you know that I know this." She mumbled. Yugi's eyes widen a bit. "I knew you were eavesdropping on me and Coby, that's why I revealed so much."

"I -,"

"Sh . . . it's alright, I don't mind." She said, interrupting him. "I think you should know how this happened; I bet you're dying to know.

"Before you came here, Yugi, Coby and I did a little research on your puzzle and what we found, well, it was like finding gold. We learned a lot of things, even a way to block your connection."

Yugi's hands tightened into fists but said nothing.

"Apparently, there's a plant in Egypt that messes with your brain." Cassandra continued. "I bought it for real cheap and bought a lot; you know, for you and maybe for when your friend comes."

"What exactly does the plant do, besides mess with the brain?" He asked, ignoring her other comment.

The chick smiled, happy that he was talking. "Hm . . . there are some scientific terms that the foreign people said, but I honestly don't remember. That, and their Japanese accents were horrible. ((A/N I would say English… but yeah,)) But, I do know what happens when you _stop _taking it. That plant, its' so strong that you only have to take it once before you're completely addicted to it. Once it enters you system, it takes weeks upon weeks to get out, unless you have the antidote, which we don't.

"Anyways, you want to know the side effects, right? Well, I'll tell you, sugar. If you stop taking the plant, after only one day will you feel nauseated and become sick. You'll feel like you want to throw up your insides. The next couple of days, you'll get a high fever and after that," she said, kissing his cheek lightly, "you'll die from blood loss." (1)

He didn't know what to say. What _could _he say? 'Dude, you're a bastard.'? Yeah, like that'll go well. So he stayed quiet, thinking over what she said.

_'So no matter what, the outcome is going to be bad. If I do manage to escape with the others, I will die. If I stay here . . . well, it's as bad as dying. I wonder if the others . . .'_

"What about the others?" Yugi asked out loud.

In a sleepy voice, Cassandra muttered, "What about them?"

"Do they also take the poison?"

"Hm . . . no, just you." She softly said and let a yawn out, giving Yugi the clue she was falling asleep. "Why give them any if they don't have a millennium item?"

Before he could reply, Cassandra's breathing started to even out and within seconds, she was asleep. The circling motion on his chest stopped and her hand laid limply across him.

He didn't know what to do, so he did what he always did; let his mind wander until he fell asleep.

Lying on the bed, having no clothes on and having his hands cuffed to the bed post, young Yugi Mutou sighed. He hated this so much that he rather have death take his life then stay here for another second. But, death couldn't take his life; he had to suffer because of someone's horrible decision. There was nothing he could do, much less think of to do. He tried, for a while year to think of an escape plan, but every thought that came to mind, wouldn't have worked.

'_Why does everything always have to happen to me?' _He thought. This must have been the millionth time he'd ask himself this question in that past year versus the rest of his sixteen years. _'But, at least I'm finally starting to understand some things . . . this is the only best thing about being in the same room as her; she always ges very talkative as if she's drunk in some way, and says things she's not supposed to say.'_

Yugi tilted his head just a bit to make sure Cassandra was still asleep. She was, thank the Gods. He moved his head back to just gaze around the darkened room.

After a few minute of random searching for nothing, he moved his wrists a bit to keep the blood flowing. The metal clanked against each other but not loud enough to disturb the sleeping lady. His wrists felt numb, the feeling you get when you leave your leg or arm in one position for too long and it falls asleep. Yeah, that's what his wrists felt like, but there was nothing he could do about it.

'_I wonder how Jii-chan is holding up . . .'_He thought. '_With me gone, who's helping him with the store? He can't do it all by himself. He'd strain his back,' _His insides started to twist and turn with guilt, guilt for not being at home to help his grandfather. '_Jii-chan, I am so sorry I haven't thought of some way to get away from here . . . I'm sorry.' _

Tears sprang to his eyes and gently trickled down his cheeks. Seeing as there was no way to wipe them away, he let them fall. As the tears continued to fall, his eyes became heavy with sleep. Slowly, he closed them and let sleep take him away.

XxxxX

Till Next Time! ^^

And, as for the changing of the title, I'll probably change it when I'm _**completely**_ done with the story, as y'all said, it would be confusing. (So I'm still looking for a name…)

Ooooookay, so about the steps when you stop taking the plant….. So sorry it's not like an awesome really bad thing… I thought it was when I was writing it, but my author said it sucked…. I was going to change it, but decided against it for it will mess my whole story up. :/

Lisa: Well . . . . Interesting chapter . . . .

Thanks ^^

Lisa: I didn't mean that in a good way -.-

But - - what way did you mean it in?

Lisa: Hm . . . . You don't wanna know; trust me.

I can never trust you, Lisa!

Lisa: :0 But, I'm your yami, and you're my hikari! You have to trust me!

Who said so?

Lisa: … Your momma!

….. Think of that one all on your own?

R&R

-Kairi


	9. The Itch Saves Us All!

Just a heads up:

/…. / that one means that whoever is controlling the body is thinking to the other.

'…' Is the other talking to the controlling…. So like, Yugi will be talking to Yami using /…. / and Yami to like '…' Get it? :? If not, tell me, I'll be more than happy to explain!

**DISCLAIMER: **** ll kairi ll does not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Nor any of its characters, just her own! ^^**

Chapter nine:

Yugi woke up at the same time as Cassandra did. She rubbed her eyes before sitting up and looked down at the chained up boy. She smiled.

"Good afternoon, Yugi. Did you sleep well?"

_'What do you think? I'm chained up.'_ He wanted to say but instead, barely nodded his head.

"That's good." The red head turned away from the boy and looked over to the bedside table that held a lamp, alarm clock, and a small golden key. She first looked at the clock, which read 1:30pm, then reached over and picked the small golden key up. She turned back to the boy and unlocked his hands from the cuff.

Once the metal had loosened, Yugi wiggled his hands free and sat up. He rubbed his sore wrist.

"Now, do whatever you need to do, but no leaving the room." Cassandra said, getting off the bed. At the other end of the bed laid a light blue bathrobe, which she slipped into. Then she walked to the door without another word.

Yugi watched her leave and once the door closed and locked behind her did he get up. The first place he went to was the bathroom to throw-up.

Every time Yugi went with Cassandra, he'd throw up. She never found out, though, because Yugi hid all of the evidence; brushed his teeth for one, then took a shower afterwards. No matter how many times she rapes him, his mind always makes it seem like it's the first time. Now let me tell you, if you feel the need to puke for whatever reason you have, puke. Your body is just trying to help you, or in Yugi's case, help him block out everything that happened to him and how he lost his virginity.

Now, I know you're curious, curious on why Cassandra left the room. Well, she doesn't like to have sex/rape for two days straight. After a few hours, she falls asleep, and when she wakes up, she has to do some things. No one knows, maybe she checks up on everyone to make sure their doing what they need to do or takes birth control. That would probably explain why she doesn't get pregnant . . . but, back to the story. When she leaves, the boy is allowed to do anything to his interest; watch TV, take a shower, eat something out of the snack bar that was hidden in a closet, or whatever.

Yugi pukes his mostly digested food out, along with whatever else was in his tummy and something that didn't catch his attention, a bit of blood. After he was done, he flushed the toilet, brushed his teeth and decided to take a shower.

The hot water trickled down his body in a soothing way, making him a bit sleepy. At home, he usually took a shower right before bed because the water relaxed his mind and body and made sleeping easier.

As he applied the shampoo to his hair, his mind clicked off, going to the past where he spent most of his present in.

((I feel like I should go into a flashback….. but there's nothing I can write for it. :/))

The bathroom was warm and foggy with steam with the shower when Yugi stepped out. Since he couldn't get dressed in his clothes, he dried himself off with a towel, (Which was already laid out when he got there) before wrapping the towel around his waist.

_'Just a few more hours . . .'_ He thought to himself. He walked out of the bathroom and first went to the closet that held the snack bar. He pulled out a granola bar, unwrapped it and ate it. He then went to where he always did, the covered up window.

Slowly, he pulled the heavy curtain back a bit to peak outside. The sun as bright and stung his eyes a bit. Ignoring his hurting eyes, he looked around the street. A lot of people were outside. Some were riding on their lawnmower while mowing their gigantic lawn, while others were washing their cars. Some people were walking or jogging down the road, some pushing baby strollers or running with their dog. Since it was Thursday, there were no kids or teenagers outside.

((Lisa: Just so you know, the window is nailed shut so that they can't escape. My hikari was stupid and didn't know where to put it…..))

Yugi sighed. Oh, how he missed having the sun beat down on his skin during gym class or the shade of the trees when he and his friends went to the park. He let the curtain fall back into place before turning his back on it.

_'Every time . . . every time I look outside, I always think of school and my friends. Every time!'_ He thought.

Yugi walked across the room to where two of the dark red walls met, and sat down. He pulled his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. Tears welled up in his but he wouldn't allow them to fall.

"I just wish . . . I could see my friends again . . . I wish I could go back to school, I wish I could help Yami recover his memories of his past life. I wish . . ." He softly whispered to himself. "I just want to be away from here. I wish none of this ever happened." Yugi rested his forehead on his towel covered knees.

"There just _has _to be a way out. I must not be seeing things through. Everything has its loopholes . . . so, what is the loophole? If anyone is listening to me," Yugi muttered out loud, feeling really weird that he was talking to nothing but air, "please help me find a way out. If not, then the others . . ."

Just as he finished his sentence, the door opened and in walked Cassandra. She had a smile on her face as she closed the door.

"What's wrong, honey?" She asked walking across the room to the boy.

Yugi stood up. "Nothing." His voice sounded odd, like someone else was speaking for him. But Cassandra took no notice of it. She changed her destination to the bed and looked over to Yugi to see him slowly walking over.

They didn't say anything as the small boy reached the bed, took his towel off from around his waist (much to his dislike) and crawled onto the bed. Cassandra followed in suite and locked him back up into the handcuffs.

For the next couple of hours, the two remained quiet, as in talking. Yes, there was a lot of moaning, sighs, shudders, etc. Cassandra did what she did as Yugi drifted from one thought to another.

Once the red head grew tired, she settled down on Yugi's right side. She curled up against him saying, "You know, you're better off staying here, living with me."

This snapped the boy out of his thinking world, where he was in a flashback of the events that took place in Battle City.

With his voice dangerously low, he said, "You know what would be good for me? Letting me and everyone go and you going to jail." He could feel the anger rising in his chest.

Cassandra chuckled. "One day, maybe that'll happen. But for now, it won't; you have to stay with me." Her arm snaked around his back and she squeezed him close to her, almost like she was hugging him. The anger remained and he narrowed his eyes.

"Wake me up if you get bored, love." She said in a sleepy but sexy voice.

Yugi grinded his teeth together but didn't say anything as he let her fall asleep. He looked over to the clock on the nightstand. It read 5:34pm.

XxxxX

The time ticked slowly by as he let her mind wander.

**Flash Back:**

_The sun was shining brightly on the Saturday afternoon. The birds were chirping to one another as they sat in the trees; squirrels were out, trying to find food; and a loose dog was sniffing at every tree he came across, sometimes marking his territory. And then there was the gang, at the park, hanging out._

_ Tristan was lying on the soft green grass with his arms crossed behind his head. Teá was sitting up with one arm supporting her. She was wanting to lie down too, but couldn't because she was wearing a skirt. Sitting next to her was Yugi, also sitting up but with both of his arms supporting him. In front of him was their silver-haired friend, Ryou. Like Tristan, he was lying on his back with his arms crossed behind his head. And last but not least, was Mr. Joey Wheeler. He was lying next to Tristan, in the same position the other two were in. _

_ The group was staring up at the sky, taking a break from reality. _

_ "We should do this more often," Tea mumbled with her eyes closed._

_ The four boys nodded in agreement._

_ "It's much more peaceful being out here than in the city or wherever." Ryou sighed._

_ Yugi nodded and smiled. "Yup."_

_ 'What are you up to, Aibou?'_

_ /We're just having a lazy Saturday./ Yugi thought back to his darker half. The millennium puzzle gave off a faint golden glow and the name-less pharaoh was sitting next to his partner in his transparent form. He was in the exact position as his light. _

_ "Hey, Yuge," Joey said, moving his head to where he could see his smaller friend upside down. _

_ "Yeah, Joey?" Yugi looked from his darker half to his blond friend. _

_ "Do ya wanna play - -,"_

**End of Flashback: **

Yugi suddenly snapped out of his flashback. He blinked a couple of times and looked over to Cassandra. She was still asleep.

_'Why'd I - -,' _he thought to himself why she snapped out of his dream land when the answer came to him. His nose . . . Was itching! ((Tee-hee))

_'Agh! You've got to be kidding me!'_He practically screamed in his mind. _'Of all times, my nose just had to itch when my hands are chained up! Great, just great.'_

The small boy tried to move his head to the side to see if his nose would be able to touch his arm to scratch it, but couldn't. He glared at nothing before squeezing his eyes shut and tried to imagine the itch going away. Of course that didn't work.

_'Hm . . . What should I do? This itch won't go away . . . and it's bothering me . . .'_ Without really thinking about it, his hand reached down and scratched his nose. His eyes opened and with his mind blank . . . then filled with surprise. _'Did I just . . .' _He looked at his hand right in front of his face without anything chaining it.

"Am I dreaming or something?" He whispered too surprised to remember to be quiet. He turned his free wrist around to make sure it was real.

Cassandra twitched, causing Yugi to stiffen and his eyes to widen. _'If she wakes up and see that my hand is loose, she'd get mad.' _

Without trying to cause any movement, he quickly brought his hand back to the cuffs, trying to make it look as though he was not free. And it looked like the Gods were on his side for the red head didn't wake up. He let out a silent sigh of relief.

_'That was close . . . but why is my hand free?'_ He tilted his head to look up at the bonds around his other wrist. His eyes widen at how loose the cuffs were. '_Did she forget to tighten them? Or . . . did someone really hear me?' _

Trying to be quiet, the boy brought his other hand down to his face while holding the cuffs with both hands so that they wouldn't clank against each other and make a noise.

'_If this is a sign, then I'm taking it.'_ He thought, determination entering his mind.

Once he brought his tired arms down, he angled them away from the sleeping girl so they wouldn't touch her.

_'This is my only time to escape, so I need to be careful.' _He thought. '_But first things first; I need to get away from Cassandra without her waking up.'_

Having once seen a movie where the main character was in a similar position, Yugi undid the cuff from his remaining wrist, then carefully set the metal on the bed next to me before grabbing an un-used pillow next to him. Cassandra didn't move or twitch once.

'_Getting away from her is the tricky part,' _Yugi thought. '_In the movie I watched, the dude used pillows to replace the body mass instead to just leaving. So the pillow in my substitute . . . but one wrong move and I'm a goner.' _

Getting the pillow ready, Yugi leaned forward a bit, remembering that her arm was still under his back. Right when he lifted his back up, he immediately placed the pillow in his place. He waited a second and watched the red head. She didn't wake up.

'_So far, so good,' _Very slowly, the boy started to move away from her.

The female's arm twitched, causing Yugi to stop dead in his tracks. But when she didn't move or wake up, he let out a breath of air he didn't realize he was holding and continued to inch away.

All of this took a minimum of five minutes. But after inching away from his seducer, he broke free. Taking his place were a few pillows.

Yugi got off the bed and looked back at the sleeping woman. She didn't really make any movement as he did. Quickly, he ran over to his pile of clothes and at a lightning speed, pulled them on. In the back of his mind a voice kept screaming at him to leave and get the hell out of there, but he didn't, well, just not right away. He glanced at Cassandra when an idea popped into his head, an idea that is so very not like Yugi.

The small boy ran back over to the bed, grabbed the handcuffs, and handcuffed one of her wrists too the bedpost without waking her.

_'Just so she doesn't come after us . . .'_ He thought. He looked down at the bedside table where the little golden key was and picked it up. '_Okay, now I can . . .'_ Before he could finish his though, Cassandra stirred.

((I was so tempted to end the chapter here! ))

Yugi tensed. '_Oh crap, please don't wake up, please don't wake up!' _He watched with fearful eyes as the female turned a bit and muttered something too low for him to hear, but she was still sound asleep. For the hundredth time that day, he let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank the Gods." He dared to whisper out loud.

Without really thinking about it, he crossed over to the dresser and opened the bottom drawer. In it there were some artifacts of clothes, some random jewelry, and underneath a shirt, a wad of cash. He took the cash and slipped it into his jeans pocket before closing the drawer and stood back up.

'_I feel really bad about doing this,' _he thought with a frown, '_but, we'll need to get a bus or something to get home from . . . where ever we are.'_

This time, without another thought, he made a mad dash for the door like he was in the Olympics. He looked over his shoulder one last time before opening the door wide enough for him to squeeze through before shutting the door with a soft 'click'.

Then he ran. He ran and didn't care about being quiet anymore. All that mattered was running to the room he shared with the guys and helping them escape.

XxxxX

What felt like hours of running, Yugi turned the corner and was on the hallway that had the guys' room. Thanking, again, the Gods that today were Thursday, Yugi ran to the door. Since it was Thursday, the boys got a day off of cleaning, but were locked in their room until Coby came to get them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

He stopped at the locked door and fished for the little gold key in his pocket. Everyone, meaning the guys, already knew that the key unlocked every lock in the house. Finding the key, he jabbed t in the lock with shaky hands and unlocked it, pushing the door open.

Inside, everyone was relaxing; looking really bored. Three people were watching a group of guys play video games while the rest were reading books. When the door opened, they all looked up.

Mark, who was playing a video game, paused his game and watched Yugi breathing hard. "What's wrong with you?"

"We . . . got to . . . go!"

Devin stood up from his beanbag with a thick book in his hands. "Go? Go where? Are you alright?"

He nodded his head and regained his breathing. "We all got to go before she wakes up!" His voice was full of fear, but also impatience, which got everyone's attention.

By now, some of the guys were on their feet. Devin put his book on his seat before looking at Yugi with a confused look.

"Who wakes up?" Greg asked. He sat next to Mark with Sokko and Leon flanking his side.

Yugi shook his head. "Cassandra! She's asleep right now and we have to go before she wakes up and noticed me missing!"

Everyone's eyes widen, even Mark's.

"How'd you manage to es - -,"

Yugi cut a guy named Marcus, who had light brown hair that went down to his ears, blue eyes, stood 5'8 and was wearing a green hoodie with blue jeans, off. "I'll tell you later," he said in a rush, "but this is our only time to escape, and if we just stand here having me explain things to you, we'll miss our only time to escape. Now, are you coming?"

Everyone was on their feet now. More than half of the guys started to run for the door, but Mark stopped them.

"Any why should we believe you?"

The tri-hair kid held up the small, golden key. "She never lets this key leave her sight, never."

The next thing we knew, all twelve guys were running down the hallway. They ran in the direction of the front door with Mark and a guy named Lee, in the lead, and Yugi and Devin taking the end. As they were running, the hallways started to look familiar. ((A/n all the hallways are familiar to them, but this hall just stuck out.))

Devin looked over to Yugi, panting a bit. "Are you going to - -,"

"Yeah," Yugi said, already knowing his friends question. Devin looked ahead of himself again. As they continued to run closer to the door, Yugi yelled out, "Mark, hold up!"

The people in front of him slowed down until they stopped. They turned to look at the tri-haired kid.

Mark looked at him with an annoyed expression. "What is it?"

Yugi didn't answer him though. Instead, he went to the blue door and pulled the little golden key from his pocket. He pushed the key into the lock, unlocked it, and pushed it open,

The door swung open and Yugi yelled down into it, "Krissy, Alex, Dixie, c'mon!"

"Are you crazy?" Yugi and the rest of the group looked over at Leon, whose face was a deep shade of red. "Why are you letting them out?"

"They don't belong here, none of us do. Why is it fair that we can escape, but they can't?" Yugi challenged.

Leon didn't say anything. Good thing too because all three girls appeared, looking a bit confused. But when they saw all the guys, they understood.

"Yugi, you found a way out~" Alex squealed.

A blush crept upon the smaller kid's cheeks. "Uh . . . yeah."

"C'mon, we don't have time for this, Alex." Her best friend, Krissy, took Alex by the arm and looked over at the boys. "Well? Are we going to leave, or just stand around wasting time?"

Mark gave her a hard glare before turning around and took off running down the hall. The others followed.

"So how'd you do it?" Alex asked as they ran side by side.

"I-I'll tell you later once we're safe." Alex seemed to notice the discomfort in his voice so she didn't say anything else.

The group of fourteen teens ran down the hall and turned down many halls. They kept quiet, all of them lost in their own thoughts of freedom. The guys, as you could tell, wanted to yell in joy, but they knew if they did, something bad would happen, so instead, they punched the air with huge smiles.

Yugi did notice, however, Mark softly talking with Greg as they ran. At a few points in time, he would look over his shoulder. His eyes were either suppressing anger or regret. But before Yugi could decide which one, he'd turn away.

With their last turn of a corner, a big glass door came into view. The front door. Some of the guys quickened their pace, excited.

"We made it!" One of the guys, Tiler, exclaimed.

The guy next to him elbowed him in the side. "Dude, don't say that til we're gone!" Tiler smiled sheepishly.

Greg was only a few yards away from the door when something moved on their right. Yugi stopped immediately, which led to Alex and Krissy stopping, then a chain reaction occurred.

"Yugi, what is it?" Alex asked, her voice expressing happiness, but at the same time, concern.

"Yeah, c'mon Yugi, we're almost free!" Devin smiled real big.

Yugi just shook his head as his hand pressed against his temple. "We can't."

Mark, standing next to Greg, exploded. "And why is that?"

The small boy pointed to their right with his free hand. Thirteen pair of eyes followed his finger and their eyes widen in horror.

"Well, I see you got this far," Coby said, standing with his arms crossed against his chest.

XxxxX

Dun dun duuuuuuuuun! Until next chapter. What do you think of my cliff-y?

Wow, that was fast! ^^

Lisa: No it wasn't. That was slow if you ask me.

No one asked you….. But, ignoring Lisa, I wanted to say…. I FINISHED THE STORY!

Lisa: No you didn't. It's a cliff-y! You just can't end it like this! Your readers will kill you! And no one can kill you except for meeeeee, I mean…. Baaaaah!

…..A sheep? Really? Whatever, but I don't mean I finished the story like that. I write my story in a spiral that I take everywhere. And, I finished the entire story! I have all of my idea's written out! Now, I just have to re-write it in a different spiral, get my friend to edit, then post it up on here! But, it still might take the same speed for each chapter, so don't be expecting each chapter to be up super fast! ^^

Lisa: Baaaaah

….. You're not a sheep! *Forgets about killing comment.*

Lisa: *Grins evilly and looks away.* Haha, the bah-ing trick worked!


	10. Next Stop, Japan!

This one didn't take me as long to type up. The chapter was short . . . And I think the next one will be short too. :0 Not too short though. Next update will be sometime next week ^^

**DISCLAIMER: **** ll kairi ll does not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Nor any of its characters, just her own! ^^**

Chapter ten:

"_Well, I see you got this far," Coby said, standing with his arms crossed against his chest._

_XxxxX_

No one said anything, they all watched Coby walk towards them. The man wasn't smiling nor was he frowning; he just looked like he was stoic enough that they couldn't decipher what he was he was thinking.

Beside him, Yugi could hear Devin gulp and could almost picture the small boy's eyes twice their size. The look of fear, when he scanned the other guys, was on everyone's face, including Mark's. Even himself.

Coby stopped about a yard from the group. He didn't say anything or do anything. He just continued to watch them.

Finally, tired of the silence that stretched between them, mark jabbed his finger in Yugi's direction and shouted, "He's the master-mind of this!"

As always, (kind of) Alex quickly spoke to his defense, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Yugi's the one who came up with the escape plan. If anyone should get in trouble, it should be him!"

"What the fuck are you talking about? You participated in this, too!" Krissy glared at the copper-colored boy.

"Who cares? Just because we participated in this, doesn't mean we all have to get in trouble." Greg said, stepping in for his friend.

Dixie glared at the boy and crossed her arms against her chest. "What kind of man are you?"

Greg seemed a bit taken aback. "Excuse me? What the hell does that have anything to do with this?"

"Only a real man can take the consequences."

"Well, then I guess we aren't real men!" A boy with blond locks exclaimed.

Greg turned to TJ with a piercing glare. "Speak for yourself!"

As the group bickered, Yugi had kept his gaze on the un-moving Coby. Neither of them said anything, just watched each other.

"So you're saying you're a real man?" TJ's friend, Sai, said, stepping in.

"I am! But that doesn't mean I have to take consequences!"

"You're letting us go, aren't you?"

The bickering from the boys abruptly stopped and they all turned to Yugi.

Coby smiled. "Well, if I wasn't, would you still be standing here?"

"Then why are you here?" Mark demanded.

The man shrugged and let his arms fall down to his sides. "To make sure you get out okay, what else?"

"Why?" Alex asked, perplexed.

Once again, he shrugged. "You've been here long enough." 

Yugi thought for a moment before dropping his hand from his temple. "You were expecting us to escape, weren't you?" Coby nodded.

"Then why didn't you help us?" Sokko demanded.

Before Coby could respond, Yugi did. "He wanted to, but couldn't."

"Why not?"

"Because," Coby said, "life's full of hard obstacle courses. And most of them, you have to accomplish on your own." When Sokko looked at him with a confused expression, he sighed and explained. "In a way, you can look at this as a test. No one can help you on a test; you have to do it yourself."

"Meaning, even though Coby was wanting to help us, he couldn't. We had to figure this out on our own." Alex explained to the dumbfounded boys.

Devin, however, still looked a bit confused. "So wait, are you saying you kidnapped us to test us?"

The man shook his head. "I wish it was that reason, but no. Cassandra wanted me to kidnap you to use as slaves, and the other part . . ."

Yugi raised an eyebrow at the statement but didn't say anything. He curled his hands into fists instead, as he tried to ignore the pain that continued to damage his mind.

What seemed like seconds passed by in silence. The teenagers watched Coby as they tried to figure him out still, even though Alex had tried to clear it up for them.

Finally, Marcus spoke up. His voice sounded kind of nervous and shaky. "So, uh . . . are you going to let us go?" He pointed his finger to the door, wondering if they were free to go.

"Does it look like I'm stopping you?" Coby asked and raised an eyebrow.

Everything happened so fast it was almost a blur. All of the guys, plus the three girls, ran to the door and then ran outside. All except for one. Yugi stayed where he was, his amethyst eyes never leaving Coby's blue.

"Why are you still here, Mr. Mutou?"

"Why Coby, why are you doing this for?" He asked.

Coby just smiled. "It began with Cassandra paying for my hospital bills. But, that's a story I'll have to tell you later. Right now, you need to get going before Cassandra wakes up and finds you gone. I'll try to buy you some time."

Yugi nodded and ran to the wide opened door. With the door knob in hand, the boy looked over his shoulder. "Thanks Coby." Then he ran out the door, closing it behind himself.

Coby kept his smile before turning around and he headed towards the kitchen. "Good luck, guys." He started to whistle a random tune that popped into his mind.

XxxxX

Outside was very bright, too bright to be only four o'clock. It looked more like it was either noon or one. The group of fourteen was standing on the huge porch, trying to get their eyes adjusted to the outside.

"Man, it's been so long since I've seen the sun," Krissy whispered, not wanting to ruin the moment. ((Like in movies))

"Admire the sun at a different time. Right now, we gotta go!" Leon said in haste. By now, everyone had their eyes adjusted.

"But there's one problem." A boy with golden brown hair said, speaking up for the first time. Everyone looked at Lee, curious but confused. "Where the hell are we?"

Mouths dropped opened, but then quickly closed. It was silent, the air filled with an intense shocked and surprised energy wave. Yugi frowned; mad that he forgot to ask Coby where they were at, much less looked around in Cassandra's room for information.

"How 'bout we just start running around and ask people where we're at?" Tiler suggested. Some of the guys mumbled in agreement, but Dixie shook her head.

"Coby said he was going to try to stall Cassandra, but we don't know for how long."

"We're in Yokohama, Japan." A soft voice sounded.

Yugi looked next to his dark haired friend. "Yokohama? How do you know that?"

"Yeah, how _do _you know that?" Sai raised an eyebrow.

Devin looked uncomfortable, hating being in the center of attention. "Well, the other day, I was on trash duty and was shredding some paper."

"Spit it out already!" Mark lashed out.

Devin sort of glared at the taller boy. "I found some of her mail and got curious. As of now, we're in the city of Yokohama, exactly two hours from Tokyo and two and a half from Domino." ((Not really, it's like an hour to Tokyo . . . but shhh! ^^))

Yugi's heart gave a little leap of joy.

"Okay, now that we know where we are, we need to find a bus station." Alex started.

Having been given a new objective, everyone nodded their heads before they started to run off the porch, onto the green grass, and took a [random] right turn down the street.

XxxxX

It took some time, but they managed to find a bus station. Some by-passers would look at them really funny, but kept walking. One even asked if they were okay. I mean, who wouldn't? A group of fourteen teens waiting for the bus, each basically wearing the same thing; guys had jeans and some color of hoodie, while the girls wore a pink (which could be seen clearly now) tank top and jean shorts; all of them shoe-less.

"We're fine," Mark growled at an elderly woman who had stopped. The lady rolled her eyes and walked off without another word. "Why is everyone asking that?"

Krissy rolled her chocolate-colored eyes. "Three words; our appearances, duh." A few of the guys counted on their fingers to see if it was right. "We look like orphans or some kids that got lost in the woods or somethin'."

Before Mark could reply, the bus sounded close, but not close by. Everyone that was sitting down stood up and watched as the bus came into view and rolled to a stop in front of them. The doors opened inviting the group in.

Yugi looked into the blue vehicle before someone grabbed his wrist, restricting him from going in.

"Yugi, I just realized something," Alex started. The tri-haired looked at her to continue. "We don't have money to ride the bus all the way to Tokyo!"

He smiled. "Don't worry; I sort of . . . borrowed some." When Alex gave him a questioning look, he turned around and took the steps up into the bus.

"Money," The bus driver automatically said, holding his hand out.

Yugi nodded. "Uh . . . How much? There's fourteen of us."

The driver raised an eyebrow and looked around the teen. The rest of the group smiled and gave him a nervous wave.

"You know that's going to be expensive, kid." He said, turning back to Yugi. "How far do you need to go?"

"We need to go to Tokyo and Domino."

The bus driver shook his head. "Sorry, but I don't go that far. And anyways, that's too far."

Suddenly, a presence appeared next to Yugi. "Please sir, we need to get back as soon as possible!" Alex spoke with such innocence. "You see, we were on a field trip without school to visit the . . . the . . ."

"- - to visit the museum when we got lost." Krissy came to the rescue when Alex seemed lost for words.

"You got lost? How?" The driver asked his expression unreadable.

"Well, we got bored at the museum, I mean who wouldn't?"

"So we took a detour, the group of us," Alex motioned to the guys (And Dixie) behind her.

"Well, when we took the detour - -,"

"- - we somehow ended up outside in the woods."

"We got really curious about the woods so we went exploring."

"And before we knew it, we got lost." Alex pouted and faked a small sniffle.

_'Man, they keep finishing each other's sentences perfectly. And they just keep going! Best friends don't even hold up to them, they're more like twin sisters.' _Yugi thought with amazement.

"We got lost for a couple of hours,"

"– because the woods were _huge! _Have you seen them?"

"When we finally got free from the woods,"

"- - and found the museum again,"

"Our teachers had already left, assuming we found our own rides home. They weren't really responsible teachers, let me tell you that."

The two girls finished their lie and looked hopefully to the bus driver.

After a moment of silence, "I don't believe you one bit, but fine. Big question here is how are you going to pay for it? You know it's going to be around a hundred to a hundred and fifty dollars, right?"

Yugi breathed in a sigh of relief before reaching into his pocket. He brought out the wad of cash he stole earlier and presented it to the wide-eyed driver. "It's about two hundred, but keep it all; covering the mileage and everything."

The driver took the money, his mouth jarred in surprised, and nodded his head.

The grateful teens said their thanks as the filed onto the bus .No living soul was on the bus except for its driver.

Within fifteen minutes, the bus took off.

The group sat in the back of the bus, sitting together. As they settled down, the intercom came on and the bus driver said, "Sit back and enjoy the ride. Next stop, Tokyo."

Not taking the silence that had overcome them, Lee leaned across the aisle and asked in a hushed voice, "Yugi, so . . . how'd you do it? How'd you manage to escape?" A mummer of agreement spread around the end of the bus as everyone turned to their savior.

Yugi, who sat next to Alex on the seat, took a deep breath before he started his story. Knowing better, he kept the parts about being poisoned and the garden to himself, not wanting the others to worry. But, he told them everything else from Cassandra forgetting to tighten the hand cuffs to cuffing her to the bed post.

"I didn't really think of anything, but, that's how it happened." He finished and watched everyone's reactions. Some were surprised, others confused, one or two smudged grins about what Cassandra got. The rest, were not expressing anything.

Finally, "Wow . . .! " Devin exclaimed. "Even if you did come up with the idea, we're still very grateful." The guys and girls nodded in agreement. "We can finally go back to our family!"

With that one sentence, every one of them started to drift off into their own world, thinking about reuniting with their family and friends. Yugi leaned back against the seat, closing his eyes as he tried to ignore the pain in his head and now his chest. His hand curled into fists on his lap.

"Are you alright, Yugi?" Alex asked softly, only loud enough for him to hear.

Yugi cracked his eyes opened and gave her a reassuring smile. "Yup, just can't wait to see my friends and grandpa." Which wasn't a lie.

Alex nodded and leaned a bit into Yugi. "Neither can I. And what's weird, is that I can't wait to go back to school." Yugi could feel a blush creep up to his cheeks, coloring them light pink. Even through everything he's been through, he could help but feel a little nervous from being so close to a girl. ((Awww!)) "I can't wait to start learning about all the pointless math and chemistry, and about Japan's history. And I can't wait to see my dog, Dude." She let out a sigh.

"The only bad thing about going back to school is all the make-up work." Yugi frowned. He could feel Alex tense up then let out a groan.

After a few minutes of random chatter, Alex slouched down a bit and rested her head on Yugi's shoulder. Quietly, she whispered, "Next stop, Tokyo City." She closed her eyes and her breathing evened out.

Yugi closed his eyes as well. '_Next stop, Tokyo City.' _Alex's words echoed into his mind. He smiled.

XxxxX

Till next time! ^^

Okay, I need major help!

Lisa: Yes you do.

*Ignores comment* Okay, I described Yugi's eyes to be amethyst but what color are Atem's? . I always thought Crimson but that's a red-ish . . . not a purple. Aaaagh!

Lisa: And why does it matter?

I need it for this story and my other! And I'm about in tears cause I'm frustrated at it!

Lisa: ….. Eat some gummy bears; they always seem to cheer you up. ^^ *Hands some*

*Eats whole bowl…* Now I'm fat again…. Though that did help *curious wonders* …. But…. I seriously need heeeelp! TT How do I describe them . . . :((


	11. Good Luck, Yugi

*Comes home carrying a big sack. Opens the door to find the living room in a complete mess with Lisa standing in the middle of it with her thinking face on displace. Gasps in horror* Wh-wh-wh-what's happened here?

Lisa: Uh huh . . . . *distracted* a tornado flew through….

*makes away around the mess* What did you do to my house? And a tornado cannot do this! What's going on here?

Lisa:…. Trying to find someone….

…. Trying to find….. Who're you trying to find! I don't believe you would have found them in the couch!

Lisa: . . . . *Turns to face me* Okay, I'm trying to find Yugi. In your other posts, he was there…. But he ain't now! Where is he?

Um…. Now that you mention it…. I haven't seen him around lately… I wonder where he went…

Lisa: Hm.. we must go find him! I'll go get the spears, you go get the rope!

…. Well… this'll be a fun hunt!

**DISCLAIMER: **** ll kairi ll does not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Nor any of its characters, just her own! ^^**

Chapter eleven:

"Hey Joey!" The said blond stopped and waited for his two friends to catch up. School just let out, meaning everyone was going home.

Once his friends, Tea and Tristan, caught up with him, he continued to walk.

"Hey man," Tristan said, walking on his right.

"Sup?" Joey answered casually.

Tea walked on Joey's other side and said, "Me and Tristan were going over to the little café. Wanna come with us?"

"Sure," Joey nodded. "But I have to go somewhere first."

"Okay," Tea responded, knowing better than to ask him where. If she knew her blond haired friend, than she knew he was going to the police department.

Within a few minutes the group of three stopped.

"I'll see you in a few." Joey stated to his friends. "Just order me the usual." He started to walk away from his two friends, not caring that he was acting differently.

"Even after a year, he's still taking it hard." Tristan mumbled as he and Tea walked the opposite way, heading towards the café.

Tea nodded. "Yeah, but he's also reminded everyday that one of his friends are gone." She said, mentioning the Millennium Puzzle and Yami. Since their smaller friend left, Joey had not let the puzzle leave his sigh. He wouldn't go anywhere without it or even let it leave his hands.

The two brunettes walked in silence the rest of the way to the café, thinking of their lost bundle of joy.

Meanwhile . . .

Joey walked into the familiar police department with his hands buried in his pants pockets. His shoulders were hunched over a bit and his normal smile was expressing a grim line.

'Going to talk with the detective again?' A voice popped into his head.

He nodded, "Yup."

About three times a week, Joey would go talk with the detective and try to get him to keep looking. But every time, the man refused.

The blond walked past several officers who were at their desks, either talking on the phone, to a person, or in one case, reading a book. No one looked up as he passed by them. Turning down the hallway, he kept walking till he reached a door marked _Detective Wilson. _He pushed the door opened and walked inside.

The room was small, about the size of any normal office room. A few black filing cabinets lined the walls along with a black book case and a black couch. In the middle of the room was a desk with two chairs, one behind it and the other in front. A computer, phone, and lots of papers covered the table top, leaving no space to see the actual table.

Joey looked around the room and spotted the man reading a file near one of the cabinets. He closed the door behind himself and walked further into the room.

Without even glancing up, the detective greeted him, "A pleasure seeing you again, Mr. Wheeler."

Joey sent a hard glare at the middle aged man. "Have you found anything new?"

Wilson closed the file he was reading and placed it back into the cabinet. He turned face Joey. Now detective Wilson, like I said, is a middle-aged man. He has brown eyes and short black hair that was turning gray. He is average height, ranging around 5'5 to 5'6. He is skinny and wore black pants and a white, button down shirt with the top two buttons undone.

"Like I told you last week and the week before, Mr. Wheeler, we had to close the case. There are no leads or anything to go by." Wilson said patiently, but a bit annoyed.

Joey crossed his arms against his chest. "Who cares if there are no leads! Send your men out there and find some!"

Wilson walked over to his desk and sat down. He offered the seat across from him, but the blond declined. The detective shrugged. "Mr. Wheeler, my men are always busy; they do not have time to - -,"

"Bull shit." Joey growled. "Your men are _not _always busy. One of them is reading a book out there! Do don't give me that crap that they are always busy."

"Joey listen," Wilson said, forgetting the formalness. He rubbed his temples as if he had a head-ache. "Your friend, Mr. Mutou, he is a lost cause. I know you don't want to believe that, not do you want to hear it, but you are a grown man. There are cases about kidnapping in Tokyo, too, but so far, none of them have been a success. They have been going on for years now. What I'm trying to get at Joey, is that you need to just let your friend go. We have tried everything we could."

Joey gave the detective a hard glare before turning around and leaving. Just as he opened the door, he growled in a low, cold voice, "I guess you don't know what it's like to have a best friend who changed your life for the better. I will never let my friend go. If there's a possibility on finding him, I'll take it. I don't need your help anymore, so just go back to reading, pretending to even give a damn about what's going on." With that, he walked out of the office and slammed the door shut.

XxxxX

A couple minutes later, the same blond was walking down the street, muttering to Yami, "I won't give up looking if it's the last thing I do!"

Yami appeared in his spirit form was floating/walking next to him. 'And for that, we thank you.' His voice was how it had been for the last few months' depressed and lonely. 'I'm glad you're not giving up, Joey. I don't . . . know how to thank you.'

The little café quickly came into sight as they continued walking.

"Don't have to . . . I just feel so useless, you know? I haven't been able to help, let alone do anything. I'm so helpless!"

XxxxX

The intercom on the bus hummed, waking its' passengers. _"Pack up your things, ladies and gentlemen; we will be arriving in Tokyo City in a few minutes."_

"There already?" A sleepy Devin yawned.

Alex rubbed her eyes and sat up. She looked over to Yugi and almost gasped aloud. "Yugi, are you okay?" Her pillow was beyond pale and his jaw was firmly clenched shut. He had a line of sweat slide down his temple as if he was in the desert of Egypt when its sun blazed over a hundred degrees.

He nodded. "Yeah . . . just a bit lightheaded." Was all he said.

Alex nodded, not convinced, but feeling like he didn't want to talk about it. Still worried, she looked out the window and grew excited about being close to home.

Yugi, knowing what was causing his condition, looked around the bus to do a (random) head count. He paused before recounting but getting the same results.

'_Fourteen including myself. We're missing someone. Did we leave someone behind?' _The thought shook him to the core so looked around again to figure who was missing.

After a minute of frantically searching, he thought of it. "Hey, where's Haku?"

Many of the heads perked up, but when they heard the name, quickly looked away with an uncomfortable look plastered upon their faces. Yugi tilted his head to the side confused.

"Um . . . Yugi," Devin began softly. When he didn't continue, Marcus took over, seeing as he and Haku were close buddies.

"While you were with Cassandra the first night, Haku . . . he, he committed suicide." Yugi's eyes widen in shock.

"W-why?"

"He was tired of being there . . . if he only waited a couple more hours!"

Yugi was speechless. Haku was a really nice guy. He was just a few months younger than Yugi, but a while lot smarter. Like, ten times smarter. Sometimes, Haku offered to play a few games, one that would involve either lying or Math, and beat whoever he played against. He tried once to play Duel Monsters, but ended up being a fail at it. Surprising right? But, he was such a nice, sweet kid . . . how . . .?

Alex cleared her throat and asked the question Yugi wanted to know, "How'd he do it?"

"He stole one of the kitchens knives and slit his throat in the middle of the night." Mark answered.

Slowly, the bus came to a stop and the intercom came back on. "Sorry kids, but this is as far as I go. Got to get to Domino on your own."

The teens started out the window to see that they were in the city.

"It's about half an hour to the closest police station, same for Domino. "Krissy said glumly as her shoulders sagged in disappointment.

Thanking the bus driver, the group of fourteen got off the bus and watched as it drove away. Then, they all stood there, gazing at the city in longing.

"We're home!" One of the guys yelled.

Without another moment to lose, everyone crushed Yugi into a group hug, everyone except for Mark, who stood on the sidelines, watching.

"Thanks, man!"

"We owe you big time!"

"You're awesome!"

"I'll never forget you!"

These were all thrown at the smaller boy. Yugi smiled as everyone started to pull away. One by one, he watched them run off towards, in what Yugi would guess to be, the direction of the police station, throwing another thank you and a good luck at him. Marcus, TJ, Sai, Lee, Tiler, Leon, Sokko, and Greg. He watched them go. The people that stayed behind were the three girls, Devin and Mark. Yugi gulped in nervous-ment at see him.

The copper-color boy walked up to Yugi, his eyes showing no emotion. When he was standing in front of him, he still hadn't said anything.

"Mark, I - -," Yugi started to say only to be cut off by the taller kid who thrust his hand out suddenly. Yugi stared at it a bit confused, but then quickly understood. As friends, they shook hands.

"Yugi, I wanted to say sorry about everything. You reminded me of my brother's killer before he died. I was scared that he had busted out of jail and . . . I . . . I shouldn't have hurt you . . ."

Yugi nodded. "Sometimes, things just happen for a reason."

"Yeah, I guess. But, Yugi?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks, and . . . see you around?"

He smiled. "Mmm," and he watched his former bully take off after the other guys.

Next came Dixie who stayed where she was. "You know," she started in a sexy voice. "If you ever wanna . . . you know, just give me a call." She winked.

His face started to feel hot and he quickly shook his head. "Sorry, but I'm going to have to decline that offer."

"You're no fun. But, Yugi thanks. I can finally go home." Dixie didn't give him a hug or anything as she took off, but at a leisurely walk.

"Last, but not least," a voice said before two pairs of arms wrapped tightly around the boy. "It was great getting to know you, Yugi." Krissy said.

"Y-yeah, same here, Krissy." Yugi shyly mumbled.

"Hey, what about me?" A different voice sounded behind the girls. All three of them looked over and found a pouting Devin. They laughed.

"Come here, Devin." Alex and Krissy broke apart to add the other in.

As a group, the four teens hugged each other tightly.

"All I can say is that I'm glad to have met you three," Yugi announced. "I don't think I could have survived without you guys being there." He could feel the others nod in agreement.

When they broke apart, a minute later, Yugi found tears forming in both girls eyes, but they wouldn't let them fall.

Before Yugi could so much as utter a single word, Alex started to reach into her jeans pocket. He, along with the other two, watched in wonder.

"Al, what're you doing?" Krissy asked just as her friend pulled a small, neatly folded piece of paper out, handing it to Yugi.

He took the piece of paper and opened it up. The paper had some numbers scribbled on it in blue ink.

"It's my number." Alex said. Yugi looked up. "Don't ask how I got the paper, but I want you to call me after you talk with the police, alright? Promise?"

Yugi smiled and nodded. He slipped the paper into his jeans pocket. "Right, and I promise."

"And before you go," At the same time, both girls leaned forward and kissed his cheeks.

His face turned a deep shade of scarlet.

"Call me, Yugi! Bye Devin!" Alex giggled as she and Krissy pulled away and took off running in the direction of everyone else.

All who was left was Devin, and the poor kid looked like he was about to cry.

"Devin, I wanted to say thanks. Thanks for becoming my friend."

The dark haired boy smiled. "Thank you for sticking up for me every time."

"Yup, I know what it felt like to sit on the sidelines and watch you get hurt. But, anyways, I need to get to Domino before sun down." He hugged Devin tightly before saying his final goodbye.

Devin watched his friend start running in the opposite way than the others.

"Good luck, Yugi." He whispered before turning around and took off running towards the police station.

XxxxX

Till next time! ^^

Thanks for reading and reviewing everyone! Y'all make my day, literally!


	12. United

**DISCLAIMER: **** ll kairi ll does not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Nor any of its characters, just her own! ^^**

Chapter twelve:

Out in the real world, there are nice people and rude people. The rude ones always ignore people running on the side of the road as they drive by, sometimes they'd glance at the person, but not always. Now the nice ones, if they were to see someone running on the sidelines of a busy road, would stop and ask them if they'd like a ride. Luckily for Yugi, a nice trucker pulled over and offered him a ride.

So now our favorite little teens was sitting in the passenger seat of a stranger's truck, kindly making small talk with the driver.

"Are you sure you're alright?" The trucker asked, glancing over at the kid. The teen was as pale as a blank sheet of paper, had watery eyes, and was uncontrollably shaking.

"Ye-yeah." Was all Yugi mumbled.

"Alright . . ." He looked back to the road. "I won't be able to get you that far into town because I'm supposed to go somewhere else, but I can get you close."

"That's . . . alright. I really appreciate you giving me a ride to begin with."

"Don't mention it. But, can I ask you what you were doing on the side of a busy highway?"

Yugi froze. _'I can't tell him the truth, then he'd think I was crazy and kick me out.' _"Uh . . ." He stalled. "Me and my friends were having a bet . . ."

"A bet?"

"Y-yeah. The bet was to see who could get to Domino the fastest, using whatever came across your path."

"In all of my years of driving, I never heard of a bet like that."

Even though he was lying, Yugi let a small sigh of relief out that the driver was buying it. He felt bad though, after all the kindness the man was giving him, but it was for the best.

"I know, my friends always came up with the weirdest bets."

For the next few minute, Yugi talked to the truck driver about how life was going for him and stuff like that. Nothing too important to say, so I won't bore you to death.

After Yugi thanked the driver and hopped out of the truck when it stopped, he knew exactly where he was. Even being gone for a whole year, he remembered where he was – exactly a mile from home, and little bit less from the police station. But, thank Ra he was home.

He took a step forward and that was when things started to spin. The buildings around him started to get blurry and the colors started to swirl and mix together.

"Ugh . . ." Yugi moaned, grabbing his head with his hands. '_This must be what Cassandra was talking about.' _The thought, remembering what the effects were.

'_For the first like, two days, I'll be feeling sick . . .' _He continued to think, '_Then . . . I'll get a high fever - - NO! I can't worry about the outcome. My only goal is to find the police and explain to them about Cassandra!' _

Without another thought, he took off sprinting in the direction of the town. He ignored his body groaning and aching and kept on. Chanting was picked up, going on like, '_Gotta find the police, gotta find the police.'_

XxxxX

Tea, Joey, and Tristan all sat in a little booth next to a large window in the café. After a few minutes of coaxing, they managed to get Yami out of the puzzle, much to his dislike. ((If you were wondering, only them three plus Ryou could see Yami. I don't know why though. But, let's go with because they are very close to him!))

Tea sipped her water quietly from the straw. She glanced around at her friends. Tristan was sitting next to her on her right, while Joey and Yami sat across from the. Yami sat next to the window, same as her, while Joey and Tristan were next to the aisle. Like her, Joey was sipping at his Root Beer with a distant look to his expression; Yami was starring out the window, very deep in thought; and Tristan . . .

"Tristan, what're you doing?" She asked her friend who was digging around in his backpack.

"Um . . . I'm not really sure," the brunette replied.

Joey blinked his eyes as he came back into focus. "Then why are you digging?"

No answer.

"So, what are y'alls plans for this weekend?" Tea asked, wanting to start up a conversation. Anything but the silence that settled among them was better. Of course, if Yugi were here, then there'd never be silence . . . '_But he's not! So stop thinking of him of you'll start to cry again!' _She thought, mentally shaking herself. She could already feel the tears threatening to form in her eyes just by thinking of their lost friend.

"The usual," Joey said with a shrug. This meant going out of town to visit his sister, Serenity, or go looking for Yugi in a different town.

Tristan looked up from his digging, "Have to babysit my little cousin." He said with a frown. "Which sucks."

The only female rolled her eyes in a playful manner. "Babysitting is not that bad."

"Yes it is! You've met my cousin, and you _still _say that!"

"_That_ cousin?" Tea responded, remembering back when Kaiba had held the Death-T match for Yugi. Kaiba wanted a rematch, but Yugi had to first for through some hard obstacle courses. Lucky for him, herself, Tristan with his baby cousin, who is a pervert, and Joey were all there to help him get through it. ((A/N What is his little cousin's name? :|))

"Yeah, _that _one." Tristan grumbled.

Yami's POV:

Yami listened to his friends chatter, but mostly ignored them. He was watching the street of Domino with a bored look in his eyes. He knew why Tea, Tristan, and Joey brought him out, but wish they didn't. Being out of the puzzle and with Yugi's - - their friends, always reminded him that he failed at protecting his light.

_'Gotta find the police, gotta find the police.' _A random voice popped up in the back of his head.

Not paying any attention that a strange voice entered his brain, he rested his head on his raised palm; his eyes slowly scanning the street.

'Why?' _He thought back._

_ 'I have to tell them something . . . and it's very important.' _It replied.

Yami nodded to himself. '_Well, if you need them that bad, they're across the street.' _Which was true. Standing on the other side of the empty road were two police officers. They were leaning against a building, talking with each other.

The voice paused, then asked, '_What street?'_

_ 'The street 'United' with the little café on it.'_

"Yami, are you okay?" Tea asked. She and the other two were so deep in their conversation, she just realized their transparent friend frowning and starring more intensely out the window.

Instead of answering her, he ignored her. Something about this random voice didn't seem so random at all. In fact, it seemed rather familiar.

_'I . . . know that street!' _The voice came stronger now. '_I'm . . . actually just around the corner from it!'_

Yami's eyes doubled in size as he realized who the voice belonged to.

XxxxX

The random voice gave Yugi the street name just as he saw the street.

'_I . . . know that street. I'm . . . actually just around the corner from it!' _He thought. Good thing too, because he could feel himself wanting to pass out. Everything, his surroundings, was spinning and his body hurt and ached. He couldn't even describe what he was feeling because it hurt so badly.

Within seconds, the young, tired boy turned the corner and, sure enough, the two police were there. They were both a few yards away, talking with each other.

Yugi's eyes started to get heavy so he quickened his pace. A couple of minutes, the small boy ran up to the police, and as he tried to hold on to consciousness, he gasped out, "My . . . name . . . Yugi Mutou. I . . .-," He never got to finish his sentence as his tired, shaking body collapsed right beneath him.

One of the officers, though very confused, caught the falling boy just as the other started talking into his walkie-talkie, requesting for an ambulance.

Just as the officer finished his request, a yell filled the air, "YUGI!"

Yami's POV:

Right as he realized who the voice belonged to, a small boy ran around the corner. He was dressed in dark jeans, a gray hoodie, surprisingly no shoes, and tri-colored hair.

Yami straightened his back and gasped out, "Yugi!"

The three friends were already looking at him because he wasn't answering them, but right as he said the name, they frowned.

"Yugi?" Tristan asked.

"Where?" Tea added.

Before the name-less pharaoh could respond, Joey leaned towards the window and looked out. Sure enough, the friend they hadn't seen in over a year was running to where two police were standing.

The fastest Tea or Tristan had ever seen Joey move, was when it was sloppy joe day in the school's cafeteria; he was always first in line. Except for today. Before they could even blink, Joey was already up and running towards the door. Some of the café's customers were startled by the suddenness, but didn't say anything. Tea and Tristan got to their feet, seeing his reaction, but wasn't quiet as fast as their blond friend.

"Joey!" tea called. She, along with Tristan, raced out of the shop, excusing themselves to the people in the shop.

"Yugi!" Joey shouted. Out of the shop, he watched to his horror as his friend suddenly collapsed, having one of the police catch him before his skull could come in contact with the cement. "Yugi!"

Yami had become invisible again to his friends when Joey had left the shop. All that would be able to see him would be Yugi. He ran alongside with his blond friend.

"Yugi!"

Tea and Tristan yelled in unison as they made it outside. They started to run after their blond friend.

Joey was only a few feet from his friend and the two police before half falling, half sliding the rest of the way. "Yugi," he whispered. The officer had gently laid him on the ground, but Joey picked up his friend and cradled him in his arms.

Yugi was definitely unconscious. His breathing was coming in short pants and he was deathly pale. That and his whole body was uncontrollably shaking.

"—yes, can we get an ambulance over here at - -," Joey heard one of the government people say into his walkie-talkie, but he didn't pay him much more attention.

"Yuge, c'mon, wake up!" The blond pleaded. The fast beating of his heart told Joey that Yugi was still alive, but he didn't [really] care about that. He just wanted to see the amethyst eyes that always held a warm glow to the, the eyes he had missed for so long.

Off in the distance, the wailing of an ambulance came closer.

XxxxX

Yami opened his crimson colored eyes. He was in the middle of his soul room. "What am I doing in here?" He asked himself aloud. Last thing he remembered was crouching next to Joey, but he couldn't be seen nor be heard from the blond which was weird.

Suddenly, snapping the pharaoh out of his thoughts was a low moan. Instinctively, Yami knew know that was and bolted towards his soul room door.

"Hold on, Yugi!" He yelled as he threw open the door. He didn't stop to gawk at the door that stood before him, he charged into his Light's room with determination.

His heart nearly stopped pumping as he stood in the door way to his hikari's room. Even though he hasn't seen it in over a year, he never thought that it would change.

Yugi's soul room was always filled with toys, games, light, and innocence. But now, it wasn't. I mean, it still had a bit of his normal innocence and a few white spots, but not by much. His room was, how should I put this? Destroyed. The stuffed animals were now torn and its remains scattered across the floor. The walls were dyed black and purple with small, small white splats. Some of the toys were cracked and destroyed and the games were broken and the cards ripped apart.

Yami cautiously walked into the room, his mouth slightly a jarred and his eyes widened in horror and anger.

"Yugi?" He called out, scanning the changed room.

Movement was made, catching the pharaoh's attention. He quickened his pace and ran to the spot.

Lying in an unconscious heap on the floor, was his Aibou.

"Yugi!" Yami suddenly found himself on his hands and knees next to him. Quickly, he pulled Yugi into his arms and cradled him against his chest. "Yugi," he whispered. ((Reminder: NOT YAOI!))

The young boy slowly opened his eyes. "Y-Yami?" His voice cracked and it sounded sick.

"Yes, Yugi, it is me." The older boy could feel tears in his eyes.

"Yami?" Suddenly forgetting about being hurt, the hikari threw himself at his dark, hugging the startled pharaoh. "I missed you so much!" He cried.

Recovering from his shock, he hugged his partner back tightly. "I know and I am so sorry, Yugi. I-I didn't mean for any of this to happen. It's my fault you were kidnapped!" He tightened his embrace.

"Not . . . your fault." Yugi choked out.

"Yes it is!" Yami argued. "I am your protector. How am I supposed to protect you when I let you get kidnapped?"

Yugi didn't reply, he just sighed. "I'm fine now though . . ." He slightly pouted in only the way he could pull off. He could also feel his other sigh.

"Can I ask you what happened while you were gone?" He was going to pull back so that he could look Yugi in the eyes, but his light held onto his like a monkey, tighter and not wanting to let go.

Yugi didn't reply. Yami opened his mouth to repeat his question when their surrounding started to shirt. Instead of it being Yugi's soul room, it was now a black room. Even though it was as black as night, you could still see clearly.

Yami closed his mouth just as these memories he's never seen before started to play like a TV. It played in the background like you were at a movie theater. It started off on the night Yugi was kidnapped. Then the memories started to play different scenes, each one lasting no longer than five seconds. Somehow, even under the quick time, Yami absorbed everything like he was there.

As the flashbacks continued to fly by, Yugi buried his head in Yami's shoulder, not wanting to relive his past.

When the memory of Yugi getting his mark, Yami's hold tightened. So quietly, that Yugi almost missed it, he muttered, "So that's what I felt . . ."

"You felt that?" Yugi asked, even though his voice was muffled.

Yami nodded. "Yes, I remember this horrible burning sensation on my left palm . . . and at that point, I heard you scream." Yugi nodded as the memory stream continued after it had paused for a second.

Memory after memory, Yami watched in silence. He would gasp or growl at the appropriate time and just watch in disbelief at what was happening. Now he knew why his hikari's soul room was different.

The memory ended off at Yugi finding the police. For a year and some odd months, Yami was informed in less than seven minutes with every detail included.

"It . . .was horrible there . . .I don't . . . want to go back," Yugi sobbed as tears slide down his cheeks.

Yami slowly rubbed his light's back in small, smooth circle motions. "You won't have to. Not while I still live [on earth]. But, this time, I'll make sure to protect you. I promise."

XxxxX

THE END! …..

Lisa: …

…

Lisa:…

…

Lisa: Well, aren't you gonna tell them?

Tell them what?

Lisa: That that ain't the end, that there's another chapter after this?

o.o LISA! You just ruined the fun!

Lisa: oops….. my bad.

Suuuuuuuuure, your bad!... *Looks around* Where is that chainsaw? I can now put it to good use! :)

Lisa: o.o Gotta go! *leaves*


	13. The Hospital

Hey everyone! Glad that you could join us again! Sorry I took a while in updating!

Lisa: …. Did you bring any cake?

Why do you want cake?

Lisa: Why wouldn't I want cake? Cake is amazing and delicious and chocolaty and - -

Alright, alright, I get it. You're making me hungry now…. T.T

Lisa: :) that's what I hoped. So, anyone got any cake?

Probably not….

Lisa…. That's depressing and here we give them an interesting story, and they can't even supplies up with cake!

Well, that supplies us with reviews! =^.^=

Lisa….. That ain't the same!

Oh, boo hoo for you. Just do the disclaimer or I'll have to do it…

Lisa: …. You always do it; I don't see why I have too. But, anyways, Kairi don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or my name would be Walt Disney. -,-

Chapter thirteen:

Pain. There are many forms of it; a feeling of discomfort, unpleasant physical sensation, emotional distress and many more. Pain is what the brain sends out through your nerves when you get hurt. Pain is not something you want to undergo, but no matter what, you'll always witness it. Every day of your life, you always get hurt; even if it's the smallest ant bite or scratch, its still pain.

His whole body was in pain. It felt like someone had plunged a knife into him many times over and over again and then sliced open his skin. It felt like he went through hell and back, many times over. It felt like he wanted to throw up his whole insides, from the liquids to his organs and lungs. What a great surprise to wake up to.

Yugi blinked his eyes open slowly. His head felt foggy and heavy, as well as the rest of his body. He wanted to closed his eyes again and fall back to sleep, but he suddenly had a panicked feeling. Where was he?

He was lying on a bed with a few blankets over him. The room was small but not too small. A few chairs, a TV up on the wall, and a roll-y table were the only furniture in the room besides the bed. The table was right next to the bed holding a pitcher of water and an empty cup next to it. He moved his head around and noticed a window with the curtains drawn closed. A long metal stick with a bag of clear liquid to it had a cord leading down and seemed to be attached to the cock of his elbow. He could feel a cord on his face, meaning it was the oxygen cord.

'_You're in the hospital.'_

Yugi nearly jumped out of the bed. Yami appeared from the millennium puzzle, which was on the bed next to Yugi, in his transparent form. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching him with a concerned, but relieved look to his eyes.

"Y-Yami!" Yugi breathed out, trying to recover from his shock.

'_I'm sorry; I didn't mean to scare you.' _The pharaoh bit the inside of his cheek.

Yugi shook the apology off with a shake of his head. "It's alright. But, why am I in the hospital?" He slowly sat up and had to lean against the wall behind him for support. A soft beeping reached his ears and he turned to look at what the noise belonged to. A heart rate monitor was right next to the metal pole, telling him that he was indeed beeping.

Yami put a hand on Yugi's shoulder, immediately getting the other male's attention. '_Aibou, the poison in your body, the doctors cannot find a cute for it. That's why you are in the hospital.' _Yugi's eyes widen just a tad.

The poison was the stupid plant Cassandra had bought in Egypt to make his and Yami's connection impossible to talk to each other. The plant messed with your brain after the first time you take it and continues to grow. If you stop taking it, your body will go through different stages until you die.

Yugi opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted when the door to the room clicked open. In walked a quiet blond and two brunettes, each casting their eyes downward.

"– I don't know," Tristan muttered, answering someone's question that was probably asked just before.

"But, how - -," Tea started to say when, weird enough, all three teens looked up at the same time. When they saw their small friend awake, their eyes widened in joy.

"Yugi!" They shouted in unison and ran over to the hospital bed. Joey, who was a half step in the lead threw himself at a startled Yugi before Tea and Tristan was there all enclosing the smaller boy in a group hug.

"Yugi! Y-you're awake!" Tea squeaked through newly found tears.

"Dude, we almost thought you were a goner." Tristan got hit on the head by Joey.

"I didn't! I knew he was going to pull through!"

Before Yugi got squished into a hug, Yami had gotten up and leaned against the wall as he watched the happy scene on the sidelines.

"Uh . . . guys? Need air . . . now," Quickly, the three teens let their small friend go. "Thanks," He glanced around his friends to find that they each had tears glistening in their eyes.

"Are . . . are you alright?" Tea sniffed.

He nodded. "Yeah, but just a bit lightheaded."

"Dude, we thought you were a goner." Tristan repeated his line from earlier, though it sounded more sad. At this, the other two, plus Yami (Remember, no one can see him because Yugi is back….. don't know why ^^) became very silent. The only noise in the room was the heart monitor going _beep beep beep _and people's uneven breathing.

"What do you mean?" Yugi asked, slightly confused.

Joey cleared his throat and explained, "When we first saw you, Yuge, you were passed out. I mean, who wouldn't of have? You had a really high fever and were really, _really _pale. I don't know how you managed to even be outside, much less running."

"The doctors," Tea started. "They don't know what to do. They know you have a fever, but something else is causing you to be this sick. They said they never seen anything like this so they don't know what kind of cure to give you."

Yugi looked down at the hands in his lap. His left hand was curled tightly into a fist so you couldn't see the mark that would always haunt him, while his other hand remained open, lying flat on the bed. "That's because they probably don't know where the poison came from." He whispered.

There was a pause and everyone glanced at each other in confusion while Yugi stared at his bedding. Then, Tristan asked, "What poison? How do you know that?"

The heart monitor stared to beep a little faster and louder as Yugi grabbed the side of his head. His eyes squeezed shut as pain suddenly abruptly exploded in his head.

"Yugi?" All three friends asked in a perplexed way, confused by his actions.

Yami looked up. '_Yugi? What's wrong?' _He walked around his friends to his light and laid a transparent hand on his shoulder.

"My . . . head . . . hurts." He murmured through clenched teeth.

"Someone go get the doctor!" Joey yelled. Tristan nodded before spiriting towards the door and out into the hallway.

"C'mon, Yuge, just . . . just try to block the pain out." Joey tried to instruct, but failed. "Just hold on until the doctor comes."

Yugi tried to nod his head, but couldn't. Everywhere in his body was screaming out pain. From the tips of his toes to the top of his head. He could feel something in the pit of his stomach turn, which probably wasn't a good sign.

" . . . Joey," Yugi managed to say through his tightly clenched teeth,

The blond was instantly at his side. "Yeah?"

"Don't . . ."

"Don't what, Yuge?"

Yami watched with pain-filled eyes. Here he was again and he couldn't even help. He closed his eyes and transferred his soul back to the Millennium Puzzle. Seconds after his arrival, he reopened his eyes and made a mad dash towards his soul room door, yanked it open, and ran to his partner's room.

"Yugi!" He ran towards his hikari who was lying in the middle of the room. On his knees, Yami pulled his light into his arms. "Yugi, wake up! Please, don't fall asleep," his voice was desperate.

"Mmm," The boy's eyes fluttered open. ""I'll . . . try . . ." His voice was weak and shaky. "Just, everything . . . hurts so . . . much,"

The darker half nodded, not sure what he could do to help.

Back to the others:

A doctor walked into the room, followed by a shaky Tristan. Yugi was barely holding on to consciousness as he continued to clutch the sides of his head.

"What happened?" The doctor asked. He walked calmly over to the side where the hearts rate monitor was.

"I – we don't know," Tea said. "When we were in here, Yugi was awake. We didn't get to talk for very long before the monitor started to beep faster and he's well . . . like this!"

The doctor nodded before softly addressing his patient. "Mr. Mutou, can you hear me?" The tri-hair nodded. "Good. Now, where does it hurt the most?"

" . . . Head,"

The doctor nodded once again and reached into his lab coat pocket and pulled a syringe out. The object was filled with a clear liquid. "I'm going to knock you out so the pain will go away, is that alright with you?" Yugi bobbed his head up and down so the doctor ever so carefully poked the needle into the tube that was connected to Yugi from the liquid bag on the stand. ((I guess…))

Within seconds, the hospitalized teen started to go limp as the drug took its affect. Joey and the doctor caught him and gently laid him back down on the bed.

"The drug should last about an hour or so," The doctor said, now messing with the monitor, changing something.

"Did you ever find out what's been causing all of this?" Tea asked, watching her friend's uneven breathing.

The man turned to look at her. "I'm afraid we haven't. We're running tests and trying to do some research, but, so far, no luck."

"Yugi mentioned it was a poison before I went to go find you." Tristan added, thinking it would be useful.

Clearly, it was. The doctor had on a surprised look. "Poison? Did he say anything else?" The three shook their heads. "Oh, well, alright. This information could be of help.

XxxxX

About an hour had passed and their friend still hadn't awakened. The three friends thought it was best to stay in the hospital just in case. They called Solomon and Ryou, who wanted to be notified if there were to be any changes. So now, all five of them were in Yugi's small hospital room just chilling and waiting for their loved one to wake up.

Tea was sitting at the foot of the bed, reading a book and every so often, would glance up at her childhood friend. Solomon and Ryou were watching TV, with the sound on low, and were talking about the Game Shop. And Joey and Tristan were playing a standard game of duel monsters on the floor.

"I swap my Panther Warrior and Rocket Warrior for Jinzo, use his special effect to get rid of your trap card, and last but certainly not least, use my Thousand Year Dragon to defeat your Two-Headed Dragon." Joey declared, ending the game. He smiled in victory as Tristan bowed his head in defeat.

"The third time in a row," The brunette whined. He gathered up all of his cards before getting to his feet. "All this losing is making me hungry."

Joey nodded in agreement. "And all this winning is making _me _hungry!" Tristan hit his arm when the blond stood up but didn't say anything. Joey turned to address everyone in the room, "We're going down to the cafeteria to get something to eat. Y'all want somthin'?"

Tea shook her head without looking up from her book and Ryou also shook his head. Solomon, however, stood up.

"I'll go buy some dinner for everyone; you boys just sit back down." He said in a rather tired voice. Since he found out Yugi had been found he hadn't been getting that much sleep. He was staying at the hospital twenty-four seven when Yugi was still in the coma and the day he went home, forced by Tea, his grandson woke up.

"You sure? We don't mind going." Tristan asked and the older man nodded.

After he left, everyone went back to chilling. Tristan took Solomon's empty chair and started to watch TV and Joey sat back down on the ground, leaning against the wall for support. He started to flip through his cards.

"Mmn . . ."

Tea looked up from her book and over to her friend. She blinked then smiled. "You alright, Yugi?"

He was blinking his eyes open and slowly nodded his head.

The three boys glanced up before getting to their feet. Suddenly, Yugi was surrounded by his friends.

"You sure you're alright?" Tristan asked, watching him carefully. "No pain?"

"N-not really," Yugi mumbled, his voice sounding a bit groggily. "A bit . . . numb? But no pain." He struggled to sit but couldn't, resulting in someone helping him, "I feel weak . . ."

After Tristan helped him sit up, he let a pain filled sigh. "Okay, never mind; the pain's coming back. But, not as bad." He quickly continued when he saw the alarm in everyone's eyes.

"Do you need me to go get the doctor, Yugi?" Ryou asked in his soft voice.

"I'm alig - -," the boy stopped mid-sentence when he saw his silver haired friend. "R-Ryou?"

"Yes?"

"Y-you're still here . . . you're not gone!" Yugi said, shocked to see the holder of the Millennium Necklace still here.

Everyone looked as confused as Ryou who answered, "No, I'm not. I'm still here . . ."

Yugi recovered from his shock and shook his head. "S-sorry, Ryou. It's just a good thing to see you again."

"What're you talking about, Yuge?" Joey questioned.

Before the boy could explain himself, the door opened and a familiar elderly man walked in, holding a big brown sack in his arms. When he closed the door behind himself and looked over and saw the teens crowding the bed, he let out a tiny gasp that you wouldn't have noticed if you were not watching him.

Yugi's face seemed to brighten up the whole room. "Jii-chan!"

Solomon set the bag down on an empty chain before making his way to his grandson's bedside. Joey and Tristan quickly stepped aside.

"Yugi!" He exclaimed through tears of joy, he hugged his grandson tightly who hugged him back. "Oh, thank Ra; I thought I'd never see you again!"

Tears were sliding down Yugi's own face as he buried his face in his grandpa's shoulder. "I missed you so much, Jii-chan." He hiccupped.

The four friends stepped back and watched the reunion quietly. Tea had tears sliding down her face, but wiped them away.

A few minutes later, they finally pulled apart, smiling and wiping their tear-stained faces.

"Y-you've grown," Solomon laughed, producing his own small hiccup.

Yugi sniffed and laughed softly. "I g-guess. Haven't really noticed."

Solomon nodded and sat down on the bed with his grandson. "When did you wake up?"

"Um . . . about . . ." He felt a light head-ache form in his head and he ignored it. "Like, ten-ish minutes ago?"

"Yeah, it was about the time you left." Tea added.

Solomon nodded before remembering the brown bad he had brought in. "That's right, I brought everyone something." He looked from the bag on the chair to Yugi, "Are you hungry?"

Yugi thought about it as a faint growl erupted from his tummy. A blush appeared upon his cheeks as everyone in the room laughed. "I guess I am. The last time I ate was . . . the day I escaped. Wait, how long was I out for?" He asked, realizing how hungry he was.

"Well . . . an hour plus three days." Tristan answered.

Yugi blinked in disbelief.

"Well, you were in a really bad condition with the high fever and everything" Tea explained, "The doctor's thought you had gone into a coma so your immune system could fight off whatever was going on."

"Coma?"

"Yes, it was really, really bad."

The smaller teen closed his eyes. His mind kept switching to what Cassandra had told him to the different stages he's going to go through.

_'You first get a bad head-ache . . .' _he thought, '_and with that, you'll feel like you want to thrown up your insides. Well, I know I already passed the first stage, even though I'm still in it. The second part was to get a fever, a high fever . . . apparently that already passed. Then, what was it that she said happened after?' _

"Um . . . Yugi? Are you alright?" Ryou asked, breaking his train of thought.

He blinked his eyes open. "Y-yeah, I - -," Then he realized that he was shaking badly. "- -Was thinking about something."

"That must have been some thinking," Joey observed. Yugi nodded.

_'Then you'll start coughing up blood ((Puking wise)) until you die of blood loss.' _

The shaking came to a still as the though came to him. He could feel whatever blood he had in his cheeks drain as he went pale. Though, no one noticed because he was already pale, except for one person.

'_Yugi, are you alright?' _Yami asked from the puzzle. He could feel the distress coming from his light easily.

Yugi didn't answer as his mind switched to something else. To protect the mind and body, the brain started to think of happy things. Other things like - -

He looked down and noticed that he was wearing the hospital's clothing; a light blue shirt and what felt like sweatpants. The material was nice, light, and soft, reminding him of back when he was a little kid.

Looking back up, he found his friends, well, the three boys, digging into the brown food bag. Tea was watching him closely with concerned eyes but didn't say anything and Grandpa was watching the three boys with an amused expression.

"What, what happened to the clothes I was wearing before?" Yugi asked to who-ever was paying attention.

"Um . . ." Tea frowned before standing up from the bed and walked over to the recliner in the corner. There, she lifted a nicely folded bundle of clothes. "We didn't know what to do with them," she said as she walked back over and handed the clothes back to their owner. "So we kept them, in case."

Yugi nodded his thanks and took the bundle. He set them down on his lap and dug his hand through both of the jeans pockets before finding what he was looking for.

Joey came over with a sandwich with a big bite missing in one hand, and three still wrapped sandwiches in the other.

"Whatcha got there, Yuge?" He asked through a mouth full of food. He handed an unwrapped sandwich to the others, Yugi, Tea, and Solomon.

"Um . . ." Yugi started to say. He took the food and placed it on his lap. Slowly, still sitting up, he brought his legs up so he could cross them. The others gathered around his bed and watched with curious eyes. In Yugi's hand was a crumpled piece of paper. "I promised someone I'd call them to tell them I got back okay."

'_You think she's going to be mad that you didn't call her right away?' _Yami chuckled as materialized out of the puzzle and leaned against the wall next to his partner.

Yugi thought for a second before thinking back, /I hope not, but there's only one way to know./

As everyone found a place to sit, Yugi reached for the phone and dialed the number on the paper. No more than three rings and a familiar female voice picked up. Yugi's face brightened up as he muttered into the phone, "Alex? This is Yugi." His friends and Grandpa looked up.

"Yugi?" The other line spoke before yelling, "Oh thank Ra! I thought she got you! Why didn't you call me sooner?"

Scared by the sudden outburst, he fumbled with the phone. Joey raised an eyebrow and Yami chuckled. "S-sorry, Alex. Um . . . something came up and - -,"

"Something came up? More important than calling me to tell me that you were all right and safe?" He could hear the hurt and worry in her voice as she tried to call down. Ina smaller voice, she whispered, "Yugi, I thought she came after you . . . I thought . . . I thought you . . ." And now she was crying.

Yugi's eyes widened with guilt. "No, Alex. I assure you, I'm okay. I got back safely and - -," Again, he was cut off, but by different voice.

"Yugi, have you talked to the police yet?" No mistaking it, it was Krissy.

"Hey, Krissy, and . . . no, I haven't. Er . . . not yet, that is." He replied honestly. "To tell you the trust, I've been in the hospital and - -,"

"What?" Both girls shouted in the phone, resulting Yugi having to pull the phone an inch or two from his ear.

Those who had looked away, to either watch the television that was still on or read a book, turned back. Apparently, the girls yelled very loudly.

"Who're you talking to?" Ryou asked.

"Um . . . two friends that I made back at - -,"

"Yugi, is your grandfather there?" Krissy suddenly asked.

Yugi looked to his grandpa who was sitting on his chair watching TV. "Yes, why - -,"

"Give him the phone, please."

"Um . . . Jii-chan?" The elder looked over. "My friends, they wanna talk to you." Yugi said with a frown. He handed the phone out.

Grandpa looked a bit surprised, yet understood and took the phone from his grandson. "Hello, this is Solomon Mutou."

'_They are not happy with you, Aibou.' _Yami observed.

/Apparently. But, it wasn't my fault, was it?/

Yami walked over to his light and gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. '_No, it was Cassandra's. Don't worry about it, you can tell them why you didn't' call them right away. They'll understand.' _Yugi nodded.

"You see, Yugi has been out cold for the past few days and - - no, no. We think he's fine. - - Yes, you see, we don't actually know what's wrong with him - - yes, they're trying. He just woke up today so we haven't been able to contact them. - - - Mmm hmm. Don't worry; we're taking care of him. - - - No-no, no need to come down." Grandpa tired to explain but kept getting cut off. He nodded and sighed before handing the phone back to his grandson. "They're very worried."

When Yugi put the receiver back to his ear, his two friends were talking quietly to each other. He cleared his throat, interrupting them.

"Yugi!" Both girls squealed. "Why didn't you tell us you were in the hospital?"

"You didn't let me," he lightly chuckled, but a cough interrupted him.

" . . . You okay?"

"Yeah, no worries." Yugi said. He coughed again and covered his mouth. When the coughing came to a stop, he pulled back and felt something warm and wet stuck to his palm. He opened his closed hand and had to stifle a gasp before quickly closing hi hand again. Sitting in a small puddle in his hand was a think, red liquid. Blood.

"You sure?" Alex asked, snapping his attention away from the blood.

"Y-yeah." No one seemed to notice because they went back to doing whatever, except for Yami, but he didn't say anything. "Did you talk with the police yet?"

"Yeah, they interviewed all of us and - -,"

"Then called the police where - -,"

"Cassandra lives. The police there - -,"

"Surrounded her house and searched it from - -,"

"Top to bottom . . . but didn't find her." The two said, finishing each other's sentences without even realizing it, and totally confusing him.

Recovering from his confusion fast, Yugi's eyes widened. "Wait, what do you mean didn't find her?"

"I mean, she wasn't there."

"It was like she vanished into thin air." They both sounded disappointed. "But, we know she's out there; stalking us."

"Waiting for us to be alone." Alex said her voice grim.

"How do you - -,"

"Know?" Krissy guessed. "It's been all over the news." Yugi looked up to see the TV to see it on commercial.

"Apparently, Cassandra's been going to each of our houses and killing us." Krissy said quietly, her voice growing thick with emotions.

"Killing?" Yugi squeaked.

For the millionth time that day, everyone looked up, though Joey said, "Hey put the phone on speaker. I wanna know what's going on."

Yugi obeyed and put the phone on speaker. "You're live, guys," he mumbled.

"Hey, Yugi's loved ones. I'm Alex."

"I'm Krissy, hey."

Joey, Tea, Tristan, and Ryou all introduced themselves.

"So, what did you mean by killing?" Tea asked, loud enough for her voice to be carried to the phone.

"How do we explain this . . ." Alex mumbled to no one in particular. "Cassandra, the one who imprisoned us, wasn't caught by the police. She somehow got away before the police went looking." Upon hearing this again, Yugi looked down at his bed, glaring.

"And when she got away, we soon found out that she was in Tokyo." Krissy added.

Tristan spoke up, "And how do you know that?"

"She's been targeting us, one by one."

Complete silence filled both sides.

"What do you mean?" Ryou asked a couple of minutes of silence.

Alex sighed. "She's been leaving notes for everyone she's visited. Saying . . . well, in the most part - -,"

"That if she couldn't have him,"

"No one could." The two best friends started to finish each other's sentences again.

"Who has . . . she killed so far?" Yugi asked quietly, feeling his gut twist painfully in his stomach.

" . . . Sokko, Leon, Sai, . . . Tiler . . . and,"

"Dixie." Krissy finished on a sadden note.

Yugi closed his eyes and asked, "What about Devin?" When there was silence, his eyes flashed open. "What about Devin?" Panic was making itself known in his mind. His gut continued to twist even tighter, that he was afraid that it would burst if it didn't stop.

"Yugi?" Tea gently said, noticing her friend's panic.

"Don't worry, Yugi, I'm alright!" A sudden cheerful voice piped up.

Yugi suddenly let out a sigh of relief and weakly mumbled, "Don't ever scare me like that again, guys." His body relaxed its tense position some, but his left hand gripped the bed unnoticed.

He put the phone off of speaker and talked with the three for a while longer. They talked about re-uniting with their families and explained to the police what had happened.

Finally, when he hung up, Yugi leaned against the wall and squeezed his eyes shut. His chest felt like it would burst open and his head felt like someone was hitting it with a sledge hammer.

'_You alright?' _Yami asked.

/Y-yeah, j-just hurting a l-lot./ He managed to think back, even though it hurt.

Alarm flashed through the spirit's eyes and he moved to look at his light. '_Just take it easy, you've had an eventful day.' _

Yugi barely shook his head. "I don't think it's that . . ." He said aloud, getting everyone's attention again.

Tea, who had started to read again when Yugi was on the phone, closed her book and stood up from the bed.

"You alright there, Yugi?" Tristan asked.

Said boy shook his head. The monitor that kept his heart rate in check started to beep a little faster. He let out a weak whimper as his body started to shake and he started to cough. The coughing was loud and scratchy; sounding like a bunch of needles was being stuffed down his throat.

"Yugi?" One of his friends voice started to drip with concern.

Before any of them could move so much an inch, the door to the room opened and a petite lady walked in. The nurse walked over to her patient without saying a word to anyone. She stopped right next to the boy and started to check his vital signs. ((I think))

"Mr. Mutou, where does it hurt the most?" She asked in a soft but firm voice.

Yugi tired to speak, but his coughing got worse. His whole body was wracking with convulsions as he fought for air.

The nurse quickly looked up at the monitor before muttering to herself. Looking as though she knew what she was doing, she reached under the bed and pulled a small red bucket out. She handed it to the boy just in time.

Blood had started to spew from the corners of his mouth as he tried to keep it closed. He had to cover his mouth with his hand so the blood wouldn't come pouring out. And right when the bucket was handed to him, a bloody vomit filled its space.

The nurse quickly shooed everyone out of the room so she could take care of her patient.

Out in the hallway, Joey leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. "He ain't tellin' us something."

"What do you mean?" Tea asked, skeptically.

"Remember when he passed out on us before the first time?" The group gathered around him with Tea and Tristan nodding. Ryou and Solomon shook their heads but wanted him to continue. "Well, we were talking about why he was in the hospital. We told him the doctor's didn't know what was wrong with him and why he was so sick, when he said . . . damn it, what he say?" he cussed.

"He said they didn't know where the poison came from." Tristan remembered.

"Poison?" Ryou asked as his fingers started messing around with the Millennium Ring. "How did he know its poison?"

"That's what we wanted to know. Before he could explain, we had to get a doctor because he started feeling bad." Tea remarked.

Solomon nodded, seeming worried. "When he's ready, he'll tell us."

XxxxX

Once the nurse left with the bucket, she allowed the visitors back in, but not before saying, "He's getting worse, so don't put any strain on him."

Yugi looked even worse than before when they walked back into the room. He was lying down now with an oxygen mask over his mouth. His eyes looked feverish, but when the group walked in, the look in his eyes brightened up some.

Solomon rushed to his grandson's side. "Are you alright, Yugi?"

"Mm hmm," Was all he could make out.

"What . . . what happened?" Ryou asked. He stood at the foot of the bed, his forehead creased in worry.

Yugi tried to sit up, but was too weak so he stayed down. He took the mask off before saying in a raspy voice, "So I don't confuse you, I'm going to have to explain things. I'm the only one who can, and I better tell you before I become silent forever," ((So dramatic!))

"What do you mean, 'silent forever'?"

He took a shallow breath of air and winced from the pain before explaining, "R-remember when I told you the reason the doctor's didn't know what was wrong with me was because of a poison? Well, it is. I didn't even know that I was taking poison at the time."

"What do you mean?" Tea asked, frowning, "You didn't know you were taking it?"

He slowly shook his head. "No . . ."

"How'd you find out?" Tristan inquired.

"Cassandra told me herself . . ." He mumbled. "I don't exactly know if she intended on telling me. She was kind of drunk at the time. Kind of.

"The poison, like I mentioned before, well, you only have to take it once before your body becomes addicted to it. If you stop taking it, you start to feel really bad. To explain how you feel is like getting a head-ache only worse." He paused, remembering what he had gone through, what he still is going through. "Well, the head-ache will continue on, each day getting worse. Then the next thing you start to experience is the high fever. Which lasts a long time. And last, but not least, is - -,"

"Let me guess, coughing up blood?" Joey guessed.

"Till you die of blood loss." Yugi finished and looked away.

"Is there no cure?" Solomon looked horrified. Here he just got his grandson back and then he might lose him forever.

The tri-hair shook his head. "If there was, she never told me."

Yami's voice drifted into his hikari's mind. '_You know, you're going to have to tell them, the whole story, Aibou."_

/I know./ he thought back. /But, would they still . . . I don't know, look at me the same? Treat me the same?/ he felt fear well up in the pit of his stomach.

'_Yugi, they aren't the kind of friends to just push you aside. They love you, no matter what you've been through.' _

The young teen mentally nodded his head and looked up to meet his friends' eyes. "You all are probably curious about what happened to me for the last year and a half."

"You don't have to tell us if you don't want to, Yugi." Tea said, even though she was dying to know what happened to her childhood friend.

Yugi shook his head. "No, it's important . . ." So he told them his story. He started off on the night where everything began to everything else that happened. For their own good, and his, he didn't do into too much detail, unless they were important.

The group stayed quiet throughout the whole story. Their eyes widened in horror at a few points in time; Yugi saw both Joey and Tristan clench their fists and Tea give off a silent gasp. When he got to the part about being burned, [He even showed them his mark] Grandpa, Joey, and Yami had their eyes narrowed.

"When I find that son of a bitch, I'm gonna kill him!" Joey vowed.

Yugi smiled weakly. "Yeah, but Coby _did _let us go. And he was following orders from Cassandra." Joey only nodded and let his friend continue.

Throughout the rest of the story, Yugi watched his friends carefully. Ryou, on the part when Yugi described that he was going to be next victim, paled and looked like he was having a conversation with his own yami, Bakura. Tea had tears in her eyes and had to sit down on a chair before she fell down. Joey started to glare out the opened window and watched as the sun was setting very quickly like it didn't want to be up in the sky any longer. Solomon and Tristan didn't say anything and they did a good job at hiding their emotions.

"I had promised Alex and Krissy I'd talk with the police right when I made it in Domino. But, as you know, I passed out right when I found them." He finished.

Ryou thought for a minute. "So you found your way to the police because Yami was helping you?"

Yugi smiled. "Yup. Apparently, we both thought it was just a random person in our heads and we talked to them. "

"So . . . that's what happened to you?" Tristan asked quietly. The tri-hair boy nodded and looked down at his fists in his lap.

"I know that what happened to me was bad and everything," Yugi started off quietly, his voice small, "But, I'm still the same person . . . kind of." He looked up with tears in his eyes. "I - -,"

"I know what you're getting' at, and don't." Joey cut him off. "Whatever happened to you, we don't care. You're still you, no matter what. You'll always be our short, kick-everyone's-butt-in-games, Yugi."

Suddenly, Yugi was crushed into a group hug. None of them cared that he was raped multiple times, well, they do, but . . . yeah, you get the point. All that mattered was that he was home, alive, and breathing. Even if it was only for now.

XxxxX

Well, there you have it! Next chapter should be up soon!

Sorry that took so long, but I hoped this length made up for it! ^^ The next chapter, hopefully, should be up soon!


	14. Coby's Reason

Welcome back everyone! ^^

Lisa: . . . . You all are on my shit list now!

What'd my faithful readers do now?

Lisa: *glares* only one person (plus their hikari) gave me cake. No one else!

…. Is that it? If you wanna a cake, go make one yourself. You have two arms. Don't bother them with something as simple as that.

Lisa: Really? You'll let me make one?

Yeeeees…?

Lisa: :) Alright. But, if something happens, it's your fault. *Runs off to the kitchen*

….. o.o Ah crap. I just gave her permission to use the stove! And I just bought a new one! *Runs after* don't you touch my stove! Cook the cake in the microwave!

A random bug: Only Takahashi, Kazuki does!

Chapter fourteen:

Three long days passed by. Instead of getting better, our young dueler had been getting worse. He was still as pale as ever, but he was even more weaker and had to wear an oxygen mask most of the time since his air pipes was constantly clogged with blood. ((I guess)) At random times of the day, he would throw up mouthful after mouthful of blood that the doctors had to hook him up to a blood packet that was donated from a blood donor.

The doctors had tried for several days to come up with a cure, but everything they tried, failed. That didn't mean they gave up; they kept giving it their best. But, for now, all they could do was help ease his pain.

Seeing as today was Thursday, a school day, Ryou was at school. However, Tristan, Tea, and Joey were not; they were with Yugi all hours of the day. Yugi tried to persuade them into going, but they absolutely refused, giving him the excuse, "School can wait, you can't." Since they were there, Solomon had gone home to catch up on sleep and take some time to take care of the shop.

"Dude, this sucks!" Joey whined. He and Yugi were playing a standardized game of Duel Monsters and Joey was losing. "You're sick and what not, but you're still kicking my butt!"

Yugi softly laughed but it turned into a cough. "Yeah. No matter what state I'm in, my strategizing for dueling doesn't waver."

"You alright?" Tea asked as she handed him a cup of water. He nodded and gratefully took the cup and sipped the cool, refreshing liquid.

Tea sat on the edge of the bed and watched the two continue to play.

Tristan observed beside Joey. He had one hand holding his chin in a thinking way before patting the blonds back and smirked. "You are so going to lose man."

Joey shrugged away from the hand. "Don't you see I know that? But maybe . . ." He played a card face down but Yugi never got to see it because loud voices sounded on the outside of the hospital's room door before it opened.

"Just give me ten minutes! I'll be back out and then you can take me to jail or whatever." A familiar voice grumbled.

Yugi's eyes widened as he recognized who he voice belonged to. Even if you only heard the voice once, you would always be able to place where that deep husky voice too. And just like that, Coby walked into the room.

Coby, the buff, well built man, was wearing jeans, a black t-shirt, a brown jacket, was clean shaved, his black hair that had grown out long was pulled back into a pony-tail, and his emerald eyes just as bright as before.

Yugi's friends looked over and Joey frowned and asked, "Who're you?"

"What're you doing here, Coby?" Yugi asked in a cautious voice, surprising the blond.

"Coby? You mean _he's _Coby?" Yugi nodded.

"Mr. Mutou, good to see you again." Coby greeted and walked towards the group till he stood in front of the bed. "Though, you don't look too good."

"I wonder why!" Joey growled ass he and Tristan jumped to their feet in a fighting stance as they glared at the man.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold it there, blond-y," Coby held his hands up in a surrender like posture. "I'm only here to talk, nothing more."

"And why should we believe you?" Tea asked, crossing her arms against her chest.

Coby dropped his hands back down to his sides. "Because I have some good news . . . and bad."

Yugi tilted his head to the side, looking more like his curious self than someone on their sick bed. "Bad news? Like?"

The man frowned. "Well, Cassandra's been - -."

"- - missing and killing people... We know." Tristan spat while still glaring.

Coby rolled his eyes and continued. "Okay, you know that much. That was really the only bad news I had. The good news is your death has been moved until future notice."

Yugi raised an eyebrow. "Moved? What does that mean?"

"It means," he said as he reached into his brown jacket's pocket and pulled out a small, black object. Tristan and Joey tensed. "Relax boys." He tossed the object to Yugi who caught it. "That's the cure for the poison."

The black object was a small bag about the size of his palm. He slowly started to open it as he asked in a confused voice, "I thought you didn't have the cure."

"And how do we know we can trust you?" Tristan raised a brow.

"Just go look outside that'll tell you whether or not you can trust me. And we never said we _didn't _have the cure. We did, but, we didn't."

"That's contradicting." Tea said.

Coby nodded. "Yeah, I know. To explain, we had the ingredients' to make the cure, but we never made it, hence that we had it, but didn't have it. Well, until I made it, did we actually have it." He pointed to the little black bag.

"So, what's outside?" Joey asked, still not trusting the man.

"Who, rather than what, just the police. I turned myself in but on one request."

"To drop the cure off?"

"Bingo, Mr. Mutou. You were smart enough to escape so you should be allowed to live. Am I right?"

"Coby . . ." Yugi tried to say but was cut off.

"Just put the powder in a glass of water. And make sure you drink the whole thing. There's only enough there for one dose, but that's all you need. Like the plant, you only need one dose before it starts working." He shrugged just as a knock sounded on the door. He let out a sigh. "Well, my time is up. But, before I go, here," he pulled a purple envelope out from his jacket and handed it to Yugi. "That'll explain any questions you have."

Yugi took it just as the man turned to leave. "Coby?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

He chuckled. "Sorry things happened the way they did. Well, see you whenever, kid."

"Mmm," The teens watched Coby walk out of the room. When the door clicked shut, everyone turned to look at the one in the hospital bed.

"That was him?"

"He looked kind of . . . tough." Tea nervously added.

Yugi shrugged. He put the envelope down and opened the little black bag. Inside the bag was a grainy, brown powder. He looked up in search for a glass of water when Tea handed him one.

"You sure that's safe?" She asked a bit skeptic.

He frowned and poured the contents into the water, swishing it around for the grainy powder to dissolve. The crystal clear water turned to a murky brown. "Only one way to find out."

_'That looks gross.' _The ever so quiet Yami observed.

Yugi took a small sip to try it and almost spit it out. He made a face and swallowed the liquid. "Yeah . . . it's gross." He commented before forcing himself to swallow the rest.

XxxxX

About ten-ish minutes later, Yugi finally drained the 'water'. He set the cup down and wanted to throw it back up. The cure tasted like dirty socks mixed into a pot of boiling mint leafs; a bad taste with a minty after taste. "Yuck . . ."

"Feel any better?" Tristan tentatively asked.

"What'd it taste like?" Joey asked out of curiosity.

Yugi shook his head, wanting to get rid of the taste that lingered in his mouth. "You soooooo do not want to know . . . trust me." Even though it tasted bad, he could feel it work almost immediately. His head stopped pounding and the shakes died down. His stomach didn't have the horrible feeling of something exploding anymore.

"Well what do you know, it actually works!" Tristan announced. "You're starting to look better, more healthier."

The smaller teen nodded. "And I'm starting to feel a bit better." It felt as though he drank an energy drink; he could feel energy and strength returning to his weak body.

"Aren't you going to open it?" Joey asked, pointing to the forgotten envelope in Yugi's lap.

Yugi nodded and opened his mail. There were two pieces of paper with black writing on both and a picture of a man, a woman, and a boy. He put the picture to the side and didn't notice a small piece of paper slip out of the envelope. He started to read the letter to himself . . .

_Dear Mr. Mutou,_

_ Sorry I couldn't talk to you in person, but, this was the best I could do._

_ To start things off, I have to apologize about the hell you've been through. You must have hated me for putting you through all of that torture, I mean; I hated doing it and watching it. But, I owed Cassandra, so I couldn't refuse._

_ Now that I've said that, I should probably explain._

_ Me and Cassandra, we are childhood friends. We've known each other since grade school and stayed very good friends up till middle school. By the time the end of High school came, our friendship crumbled. I got married and had a kid and she went off and got rich. I don't know exactly how, so don't ask. (Even though you can't)_

_ Well, after many years, my son died of a disease . . . There was no helping him. He was only nine years old. His name was Marky._

_ After the funeral, my wife and I . . . well, we were devastated. Our little boy was taken from us. We tried to get on with our lives, but my wife kept getting more and more depressed with each passing day. Soon enough, she got sick. I had three jobs, and even with the money I was earning, I couldn't afford to pay for her cure or keep her in the hospital. It was just too expensive. That was when I remembered Cassandra becoming rich and famous. So, I gave her a call._

_ She said she would help and she gave me the money, but there was a catch. I was willing to do anything to save my wife so I said yes. She told me I had to work for her and you know what I mean by work. _

_ I did what she asked without a complaint. I felt sorry for you boys but it was to save my wife. I did that for the past four years. That was until my wife died just a few months ago. She was in a car accident and . . . didn't make it._

_ After her funeral, I knew that I was going to have to continue to work for Cassandra for a bit longer. But, I told myself that I was gonna try and help y'all escape. But I didn't have to. Before I knew it, you, Mr. Mutou, helped everyone escaped. _

_ Cassandra was very surprised to see that y'all escaped. She, how should I put this, was angry, surprised, and pleased. She's a woman, so they're very difficult to read. ((A/N Which I resent my own writing!))_

_ Anyways, to fair warn you, Mr. Mutou, Cassandra will kill ya if you let your guard down. So, word of advice: Be alert at all time. That's all I really have to say and now you understand why I did what I did._

_ Take care of yourself._

_~Coby Home_

Yugi finished the letter and was speechless. He had no idea . . . He laid the paper down and picked the picture up to examine it.

Coby, looking just a bit younger, was smiling real big as he held a petite lady, must have been his wife, and in front of them stood a young boy. The lady came up to Coby's shoulder and had long, wavy black hair. She was wearing a spaghetti strap light blue sun dress with black closed flats. She was smiling and looked very beautiful. The little boy was a mini Coby, but just not as bulky and he had his mother's hazel eyes. Both males were dressed in black dress pants and white, long sleeved shirts. The background was a park with many huge oak trees, benches, a few scattered picnic tables, and bright green grass.

Yugi flipped the picture over and found writing on it.

Coby, Melissa, and Marky Home

May 19th, 2000. Family Picture

"What's it say, Yuge?" Joey asked from where he sat. He had moved over to the chair and sat down a moment ago while Yugi had been reading.

Yugi put the photo down and rubbed his sleepy eyes. "Why he did what he did . . ."

Tea moved closer to the bed. "Who's the photo of?" He handed her the picture. She examined it before flipping it over to read the names. "Marky Home . . . . That name sounds really familiar. Wait, wasn't he the little boy who died from a disease a few years ago?" Yugi nodded and she handed him the picture back.

"You know, I'm kind of curious about . . ." Yugi had started to say but his voice died down and his eyes drooped downwards.

"Yugi?" Tristan, who was standing next to him asked, confused. Being as quick as a teen could get, ((And being the first to see)) caught his falling friends as he started to sump forwards.

Joey jumped to his feet. "Whoa, what happened?" He watched Tristan lay their unconscious friend down on the bed.

Tea leaned over to check on him. "I think he just passed out." She placed her hand on his forehead. "No fever . . . I wonder what caused this? it's so sudden." 

"I think I know," Tristan picked up a small piece of paper that hadn't been noticed by anyone off of Yugi's lap and read it aloud, " 'Just so you know, the cure will knock you out for about a day or two. ~Coby. P.S. It will taste really gross, but it should start to work as soon as it hits your system.'"

"Glad he didn't tell us _before _hand . . ." Joey griped.

XxxxX

Till next time!

So… How was it? ^^ Sorry it was short!

R&R please!


	15. Shocking Visit's

Sorry the chapter wasn't up sooner! I have been soooo busy! X.X

Lisa: So busy that you couldn't write to your story? *Gasps*

… Yes. I had UIL for choir

Lisa: which they got all two's for singing and 2,2,3 for sight reading,

And I've been getting my room ready.

Lisa: ready for what? *Mocking the questions*

x.x Glad that you asked, Lisa. I finally got my own room! And I have been busy with it. I've been moving all of my mom's stuff from upstairs to downstairs and all out of the room. And I've been washing the walls so I can paint them a nice shade of green - -

Lisa: And that's all the readers what to read!

Hey! But I wasn't done!

Lisa: Sorry, shouldn't have detailed it! ^^ Now on to the reading! Enjoy!

Chapter fifteen:

Over the next four days, as Yugi regained the strength he apparently lost back, things were not at all quiet. The police would often visit, asking him questions about Cassandra and what had occurred during the last year and a half. Each day a new officer would come and ask either the same question as the others or different ones. They'd stay for an hour before leaving.

It was never quiet during the day due to him getting many visits, but not only from the police, but from his friends too. It appeared that Tea, Joey, Tristan, and Ryou were spreading news around the whole school that he was back and in the hospital. And guess who his first visitors were? You guessed it, the Kaiba brothers.

_Flashback:_

_ The day after Yugi woke up due to the cure:_

_ He was walking around his room, complete boredom written all over his face. He had convinced his friends to go back to school since they needed their education, and wished he hadn't. Now he was alone, bored, and had nothing to do except walk around like a zombie in the Walking Dead. ((A TV show on AMC. Watch it! A-Maz-ing!))_

_ "My, my, my, so it seems he has returned." A voice made Yugi stop his pace. He turned around._

_ "Yugi!" Right as he turned around, someone about his height and with long black hair hugged him. Behind him, the kid's brother stood in the doorway with his arms crossed at his chest and his usual glare plastered on his face. _

_ "M-Mokuba! Kaiba!" Yugi managed to say as he hugged Mokuba back. _

_ The two brothers looked exactly the same since he last saw them, though a bit older. They even acted the same; Mokuba being a cheer-y bundle of joy and Kaiba rarely expressing anything except for his usual glare/ scowl._

_ "Oh my Ra, it's so great to see you again, Yugi!" Mokuba said as he leaned back. He smiled real big._

_ Yugi smiled back. "It's good to see you again too, Mokuba." He looked over to Kaiba who just shrugged._

_ "So Yugi, what happened to you? Where were you?" Came the questions. _

_ "Easy there, Mokuba, you don't want to smother him with questions," Kaiba said in an un-Kaiba manner. He walked further into the room. _

_ /Kaiba seems different./ Yugi commented to Yami._

_ '_That seems rather odd.' _Yami agreed._

_ "Oh, right, sorry Yugi." The youngest smiled sheepishly. "It's just been a while, y'know?"_

_ Yugi nodded. "It's alright. But, does the city Yokomama sound familiar to you?" He nodded. "Well, that's where I was at."_

_ "Do you know the name that the person that kidnapped you?"_

_ "Mokuba!" Kaiba's tone turned sharp like a father scowling a young kid for licking the icing off of the cake too early. _

_ "Sorry again, Yugi."_

_ Said name shook his head. "Her name is Cassandra Sensamino." If he had not been watching the young CEO, he would have missed his surprised reaction. _

_ "Really?" Mokuba asked before looking over to his brother. "Nii-sama, isn't she one of the people - -,"_

_ "Yes." Was his short, quick response. When Yugi looked at the two brothers with a curious look, Kaiba let out an impatient sigh. I met her a few years ago on a business trip. A few company's were having this party together and discussing how their sales were going. I happened to have met Cassandra."_

_ "Do you remember what you talked about?" Yugi asked, wondering if he could give him any useful information._

_ He shrugged. "Not really. She just stayed on a light subject about money."_

_ '_That doesn't really help any,' _Yugi thought. '_But, it is kind of strange that Kaiba knows her.'

_ For a while, the two brothers, well Mokuba mostly, talked to Yugi about little things. Stuff like what he was going to do now that he was back. _

_ "You're about a year behind in school now, what are you gonna do?" _

_ Yugi shrugged. "Probably do summer school or recovery. As long as they don't hold me back and make me redo a year over, I'll be good." He never really thought about school before. Would they hold him back or could he just make the lost time up? He remembered studying a bit at Cassandra's. Devin insisted him to do it and it also, for some weird reason, calmed him down. Probably because it reminded him of home where he always studied for tests. _

_ When the brothers left, something about having a lot of paper work that needed to get done, Yugi started to pace his room again, restless._

End of Flashback:

"I've been in here for ten days. When can I leave?" Yugi whined to Grandpa.

Grandpa chuckled as he flipped through a _People _magazine Tea had left behind. "Whenever the doctor says you can."

The teen groaned. "Which will probably be never. I wanna sleep on my own bed for once!" Yugi, who was pacing the small room, collapsed on the messy hospital bed. Grandpa smiled and shook his head.

'_Getting a little restless, Aibou?' _Yami chuckled as he appeared out of the Millennium Puzzle which was right next to Yugi.

/Yes!/ He groaned in his head. /I'm tired of being here. I wanna go home; see the game shop and my room./

'_I agree. I'm tired of looking at these bland walls.'_

Yugi raised an eyebrow and tilted his head at his darker self. /_You're tired?_ You barely even have to look at them./

Yami smiled, but before he could respond, the door to the room opened. Yugi's doctor, Dr. Cots ((xD)) walked in with a clip board in hand.

Grandpa looked up from his magazine and grinned. "Dr. Cots, what can we do for you today?"

Dr. Cots is a young man about in his thirties. He had light brown hair that was cut short, bright blue eyes, and a warm smile. He was about six feet tall and slender. Today, the doctor was wearing brown khaki pants and an orange shirt hidden beneath his white lab coat.

"I'm just here to give you some good news." He smiled a pearly white. "Our young patient has been recovering nicely and hasn't shown any bad signs. I don't see why you are needed here anymore."

Yugi shot up and looked like a kid on Christmas day. His eyes lit up and Yami had to stifle a laugh. "You mean I can go home?"

Dr. Cots chuckled from the teen's enthusiasm. "Yes. As soon as you are ready and your grandfather signs you out."

XxxxX

Yugi stood next to the bed, all ready to go. His belongings had been packed up for the past three days so he didn't have much packing to do. He felt relieved that he was finally wearing his own clothes; jeans, a clean white shirt (underwear 3) and shoes.

He grabbed the chain of the puzzle and slowly put it on over his head. Once it rested in place, he let out a relaxed sigh.

'_What is it, Aibou?' _Yami had disappeared back into the puzzle when the doctor appeared, just an old habit. Now he was floating beside his partner.

"You know, it's not a dream. Sometimes I keep imagining that I'm just going to wake up and be back at Cassandra's. And, I don't want that to happen. But now, with everything that's happening, I can tell this isn't a dream." He whispered. "It's all real. And . . . I'm glad."

Yami smiled and rested a transparent hand on his lights shoulder. "It's good to have you back, Yugi."

"It's good to be back."

XxxxX

The car ride home was short, but Yugi stared out the window like a new puppy. They passed by Yugi's school which was still in session. They passed by many buildings that took his breath away. All too soon, they arrived home.

Yugi stepped out of the car and grabbed his bag. Bringing his attention to the building that awaited before him, he could feel his throat close up.

'_Nothing's changed,' _he thought. The Kame Game shop still looked the same from the bricks to the posters.

"Yugi, are you coming?" Grandpa called, already unlocking the door. Yugi nodded and walked after him.

Like the outside, nothing changed on the inside. The actual shop still looked exactly the same, the living room and kitchen too. Upstairs looked the same, however, one of the doors that was always opened, no matter what, was closed, not even opened a crack. And that was his room.

Yugi opened his bedroom door and walked in. Someone had already been in his room. The last time he had been in here, the books on his desk had been knocked over when he was trying to escape from Coby. Now, they were neatly stacked into place on his desk. Instead of his messy bed, the sheets were all nicely made and neat.

He slowly walked over to his bed and dropped his bag down just as his grandpa walked in.

"I cleaned your bedding and tidied up a bit." He said.

Yugi grinned. "Thanks, Jii-chan." He ran up to him and hugged him tight.

Grandpa ruffled his grandson's hair and hugged him back. "I'm just glad you are home." When the two parted, he continued, "Tea called. I told her you were already home. She said she was on her way home from school and that she, along with the two boys, were gonna drop by here."

Yugi nodded. "Alright." He looked around at the room he hadn't seen for a long time before adding, "I'll be in here."

Grandpa watched his grandson look around before turning away and exiting the room. "Just yell if you need anything." He called over his shoulder/

"Kay."

'_So what are you going to do?' _Yami materialized out of the puzzle.

/Um . . . now that you mention it, I don't really know./ He looked around his room before his gaze rested on the closet. The smaller room had the door ajar so you could see only a crack of darkness. He blinked and looked away. '_I could have sworn I saw something move.' _He thought.

"I am kind of tired . . ." He muttered aloud to Yami. "But, I don't want to be asleep when Tea and the other two come over."

Yami nodded in understanding. '_Maybe you could unpack?' _He suggested.

Yugi crossed over to his bed and unzipped his bag. He started pulling clothes out when a soft 'click' sounded.

Confused, he turned around and let a yelp out. Standing at the now closed door was Cassandra. She locked the door before turning to look at him and she smiled.

"Hello, Yugi. Glad to see you're alive and well . . . for now."

XxxxX

That's all folks! ^^ Till next time!

Oh, and by the way, Mokuba is way OOC and Kaiba is sort of. They are hard to write! .

Lisa: ! How could you? How could you leave it on a cliff hanger?

Because I'm the author! ^^ And…


	16. Dun Dun Duuuun!

Hello again! Well, here's the next chapter. Sorry it's short, but it's filled with action pack! Kind of! XD Enjoy!

Chapter sixteen:

'_What is she doing here?' _Yami growled even though no one could hear him except for Yugi.

"Wh-what're you doing here?" Yugi squeaked, voicing Yami's question. Thought after thought surged through his brain, remembering what Alex and Krissy had told him.

_"Apparently, Cassandra's been going to each of our houses and killing us."_

_ "She's been targeting us, one by one."_

_ " . . . Sokko, Leon, Sai . . . Tiler and . . . Dixie."_

_ "Wasn't caught by the police. Somehow got away."_

Cassandra smiled. "Just dropping by to say hi. Can't I do that?"

'_Yugi, let me take over.' _Yami said. Yugi could barely nod his head, still overcome with shock, but he let his darker half take over. Yami blinked his eyes opened and growled, "Cassandra, what do you want?"

The female's smile deepened into a smirk and she gave him a mocking bow. "The nameless pharaoh. Finally, we meet face to face."

"Answer me!" He yelled.

"Don't you think you're being a bit rude?" She tucked a lock of her red hair behind her ear and crossed her arms against her chest. "Fine, I'll tell you. What your little 'light' did is unforgiveable. I cannot allow him to live any longer." ((A/N She's very dramatic.))

Yugi appeared next to Yami in his transparent form. Apparently, he overcame his shock. _'What _**I**_ did? Think about what _**you**_ did!'_

Of course she couldn't hear him.

Cassandra continued, "After I managed to get free, thanks to my extra key, I found out that you, along with everyone else had already left. I found Coby a while later and asked him why he didn't stop them, but he claimed he didn't see you all." From the look on her face, she didn't believe him either.

'_Shouldn't we call Jii-chan?' _Yugi asked, not really paying attention to the female.

/It won't do us any good. The door will block any sound away. But we need to get out of here./

'_How? She's blocking our only exit!'_

Yami mentally shook his head. /Remember when Joey taught you to climb the gutter down?/

Now that he mentioned it, Yugi did remember. He had a lesson a really long time ago about how to sneak out of the house. (Not that he would.) There was a gutter right next to his window outside, leading all the way to the ground.

'_Oh right! But, how do we get over there?'_

/Run./ The spirit answered grimly.

Before giving it a second thought, he dashed across the room towards the window. But Cassandra had already anticipated the window would be their escape plan and was already running in the same direction.

XxxxX

"Ugh . . . who knew that we would have so much homework for only missing a few days of school." Tristan groaned as he walked with Joey and Tea to the game shop.

Tea rolled her eyes. "We already knew that we'd get a lot of homework, so stop complaining."

"Yeah, we did this for Yuge," Joey added. He crossed his arms behind his head.

They walked off of the school's property and headed towards their friends house. They were talking about their day and about getting together tomorrow to do a study group to get their homework done. Soon, the shop came into sight. Bu, something didn't seem right.

There were two police cars zooming their way. But, from the color of the cars, they weren't Domino's cops. They were . . .

"What are the Tokyo police doing way out here?" Tristan wondered aloud.

The Tokyo police cars were black and silver while Domino was all blue with white strips at the bottom. Both car windows were tinted black so you couldn't look into the car, ((A/N I made them up, if you were wondering.))

It wasn't that the cars caught the teen's attention. They didn't really care that they weren't where they were supposed to be. But, what caught their attention was that they were speeding. At first, they thought the cars were speeding their way, when, in fact, they were speeding towards the game shop with their lights flashing blue and red.

Joey stopped walking along with the other two. "If they are speeding lie that, then . . ." He didn't even need to finish his sentence before he took off running.

"This so can't be good." Tristan said.

XxxxX

"Oh no you don't." Cassandra said, grabbing Yami's wrist just as he unlocked the window. Her hand tightened so that her nails dug into his skin. "You can leave once I'm through with you."

Yami clenched his jaw as he tried to pull away. "Let me go!" He rose to his other hand to slap the female, but she caught his hand before he could swing. Something felt weird as she held his other hand, something like she was holding something else.

"Oh no you don't." She said, holding him tightly. Using force, she pushed him against the wall, holding his hands above his head and leaning into him to keep him at bay.

'_Yami!' _Yugi yelled to his horror.

Said name tried to struggle to get loose, but her grip was like iron.

"Hm . . . doesn't this seem familiar?" She asked in a sexy like voice before planting her lips on his.

Yami, at first was shocked, moved his head away before she could try and deepen the kiss. "Let go," he growled, beyond pissed. But she didn't.

"You know," Cassandra ignored him, turning away and she kissed his neck as he kept trying to wiggle away. Somehow, she managed to hold both of his wrists in one hand so that her other was free to keep hold of whatever it was she was holding. She kissed his neck more before pulling away. She brought the object to her mouth and clamped her teeth around the edge of it. In one quick motion, she twisted the cap off and tossed it off to the side.

Yami stopped for a split second and stared at the syringe in her hand. The needle was like the ones you see at doctors when you have to get shots. So it was about two inches long. ((A/N it doesn't sound bad nor threatening, but it's scary to see someone you hate hold one!))

"In this syringe," Cassandra murmured, waving it in front of him, "is a drug. You want to know what it does?" inside the syringe tube had a light green substance with a few air bubbles. She smiled. "It'll make you unable to move."

'_Yami?' _Yugi's voice sounded scared.

/Don't worry, Yugi./ Yami tried to reassure his light. '_Shit!'_ He thought to himself. '_If I don't get out of this, then she's going to kill us . . .'_

Thinking of no better solution, he opened his mouth and tried to call out, "Jii-chan!" but Cassandra covered his mouth with her hand as she juggled his moving wrists and holding onto the syringe.

"Uh uh Uuugh," she said. "You're not getting out of this one." Being quick, she uncovered his mouth, just as he took a breath of air; she stabbed the needle into his arm and released the green liquid.

"Agh!" Yami yelled through his teeth.

'_Yami!' _Since Yugi was transparent, he couldn't feel anything, that and his darker half was blocking even the smallest ounce of pain. '_L-let me take over!' _

/No!/ Yami argued.

Half of the liquid was gone when Yami gave a surprising jerk. Cassandra lost her grip from him all together and accidently pulled the needle out. Yami dove to the side right when she let go.

'_Hurry, get to the door!' _Yugi cried out.

"Right . . ." He got to his feet and started to run towards the door. But something didn't feel right. He could feel a cold, tingling sensation making its way around his whole body.

"I'm not letting you escape again," Cassandra hissed and pulled a black object from her jeans waist band.

Yami was almost to the door when a loud shot sounded and something came in contact with his left side.

XxxxX

Till next time!

Yugi: You hate me, don't you? That's why you cause me so much pain

Lisa: Oh Lisa, she doesn't hate you. No one does.

Yugi: The why does all of this happen to me?

Because it's fun. And enjoyable. ^^ Sorry, Yugi, but it's just the truth.

And, sorry I left last chapter on a cliff hanger and this one too. But, it's just so much fun! XD

Reviewers:

**Azera: **Sorry, but, with cliff hangers, the sensation is awesome! XD And thank you! The epic-ness made me feel awesome!

**3WhiteStripes: **:D life isn't fair, it's always full of meanie people and their cliff hangers. Lol. But I'm glad you like it! XD


	17. Powers of the Millennium Puzzle

I'm sooo pissed off but hopefully writing to this will help me cool down. For those of you who also read my other story _Over A Decades Wait _will have to wait. I was almost done with the chapter; I literally had like two paragraphs left. But, something happened and I can't get to it. Like my hard drive is be a B**** and eeeeer!

Lisa: Calm down hikari

I AM CALM!

Lisa: Right, and I'm a big pink elephant. C'mon, let's go lay down/ *leads her to the room and comes back* …Sorry, she's very frustrated and upset. She had like four thousand words written to it with all of these great ideas. And she thinks if she tries to re-write to it, it won't turn out the same. She apologizes.

Yugi: Poor Kairi. She worked so hard on it!

Bakura: Well, too bad. And she shouldn't be complaining about it! This happens to a lot of people!

Yugi: Yeah, but this is her first time, so be nice!

Bakura: ….. How bout I go give her a friendly talk

Lisa: That wouldn't be wise….

Bakura: sure it would be! *Walks into the room*

GET OUT OR I'LL KILL YOU IN MY STORY!

Bakura: *Runs out and slams the door close* She's crazy!

Lisa: Told you it wouldn't be wise.

Yugi: Anyways, enjoy this chapter. Ll Kairi ll doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or any of its characters except for her own.

Chapter seventeen:

Joey, Tristan, and Tea stopped right outside the game shop just as the two cop cars did. The doors to one of them swung opened and two teenage girls stepped out and one older man.

One of the girls had dirty blond hair with chocolate-colored eyes while the other had long brown hair with bright blue eyes. They both were wearing jeans and some kind of T-shirt. The man had brown hair and wore an officer uniform.

"Who're you?" Joey demanded as they walked over to them.

The blond girl examined Joey before saying, "I'm Krissy and you must be Joey."

"And I'm Alex. We're friends of Yugi." The other girl, Alex said.

"Why are you here?" Tea asked curiously.

"We have a lead on Cassandra," Krissy started.

"and we think she'll stop by here."

"So we came to warn Yugi." They finished together. Joey gave them a weird look but kept his mouth shut.

"How did you know he was released from the hospital?" Tristan wondered aloud.

Krissy tucked a strand of blond locks behind her ear. "We called the hospital he was staying at,"

"- and the nurse told us that he had already left for home. When she told us that,"

"we knew that Yugi wouldn't have the protection of the hospital if he went home."

"So to keep him notified, we came here to tell him Cassandra,"

"-was on her w- -,"

"Will you stop that already? You're killing me!" Joey interrupted the two girls with a groan.

The officer came over to the girls and rested a hand on Alex's shoulder. "Welcome to my world."

Alex playfully rolled her eyes. "Whatever dad."

Alex's father smiled, but before he could say anything, a gunshot echoed around.

"Yugi!" Tea, Joey, and Tristan called out in unison. Somehow they knew that their friend was involved with the gun. Within seconds after the fire, the three were already running towards the game shop's door.

XxxxX

Yami fell to his hands and knees as his hand gripped his left side. Blood gushed from the small wound and pain was signaling into his brain like fire alarms in a school; loud and unbearably painful.

'_Yami!' _Yugi cried out. He was on his hands and knees next to his other.

"Well, that makes things easier." Cassandra smiled and started walking towards the wounded pharaoh.

'_Y-Yami, pl-please be okay.' _ Yugi whimpered. He watched with fearful eyes as his darker half struggled to his feet. He was much slower, due to the bullet and the poison along with that, he was swaying a bit.

"Where are you going?"

Cassandra appeared in front of Yami and grabbed him by the throat. She didn't squeeze, just held him tight enough so he couldn't escape.

"You know," her free hand gripped the Millennium Puzzle's chain tightly. "You know, I think I would rather talk to Yugi, not that you aren't fun to talk to." And she forced the chain off from around his neck and tossed it over near the window where it laid unmoving.

"Yugi!" Yami cried out before his soul was ripped from the body and Yugi's was shoved back in.

Yugi gasped out loud as the pain exploded when he entered his body. When Yami was in control of his body, he blocked away all of the pain, but since he wasn't there anymore, he felt the full extent. He clutched his side tightly.

Cassandra smiled widely. "Glad you decided to chat with me, honey." Her hand now tightened around his small neck and she lifted him off the ground like it was the easiest thing to do. She held him at eye level and let his feet dangle in the air.

"W-why are you . . . doing this?" Yugi managed to say. Through the pain in his side, he couldn't feel his legs anymore. The tingling sensation from before now made its way to his waist and continued up to his chest. ((A/n isn't it weird that he got the shot in his arm but it started in his legs? xD ))

"Because you mocked me, Yugi." The red head growled as her eyes narrowed.

"W-what do you mean?" He clenched his jaw and tried not to cry out from the pain. Of all things, why did a gun have to appear?

XxxxX

Joey ran through the shop with everyone at his heels. As he rounded one of the corners he almost ran into Mr. Mutou who was holding a few boxes in his hand. From the boxes, Joey guessed he came from the basement. ((A/n basement=storage. And, y'all will ask me, but Solomon did NOT hear the gun shot because he was there. It's hard to hear things and add Mr. Mutou being old.))

"Joey," he said, surprised to almost run into the blond.

"Gramps, where's Yugi?" Joey asked in a rush.

"Upstairs, why? What's going on?" He asked, now noticing the officer and the two newcomers.

Joey didn't give the elder an answer as he dashed around him and ran towards the stairs. Behind him, he could hear Tea talking to Mr. Mutou. The blind took the stairs two at a time as he cussed under his breath.

XxxxX

"Managing to escape and leaving me there. What do you think you were doing?" Cassandra growled out. Unnoticed by her, she tightened her hand.

Yugi's free hand grasped hers tightly, trying to get her to loosen her grip. "Escaping . . . what else?"

"And everything I've done for you? For everyone else?"

" . . . Done what?"

"I fed you boys, clothed you, and had a roof over your heads. I entertained you all, made you happy. And this is the thanks I get?"

Now it was Yugi's turn to narrow his eyes. "Not to mention kidnapped . . . us . . . raped us . . . _killed _so-some of us."

"None of that matters. I - -," she was interrupted by a loud banging noise on Yugi's bedroom door with voices following.

"Yugi!"

"J-Joey!" Yugi cried out, recognizing the voice is half a second. His head tired to turn towards the door but he winced from his side. His fingers could still feel the warm blood that seeped in between his fingers.

"Yugi!" Two female voices called at the same time.

'_That's Alex and Krissy . . . what're they errrr, d-doing here?' _

"Looks like they figured me out." Cassandra glared at the closed door, thankful that she locked it. "But, no matter, I'm almost done here." She looked back at the boy.

XxxxX

"Yugi!" Joey banged against the locked door with his shoulder.

"He never locks his door!" Tea voiced, somewhere among the group. She sounded very worried.

Alex spoke with such venom in her voice that she made a King Cobra look bad. "Meaning Cassandra's definitely here."

Joey looked at Tristan who looked at him. Something seemed to pass between them because they nodded at the same time and together, at the same time, banged their shoulders against the door. They could feel a bruise starting to form, but they kept at it, determined to get the door open and this time, save their friend.

XxxxX

"Let . . . go . . . of me!" Yugi tried. The drug had already passed through his chest and was going along his arms. Soon, they too became limp and hand gripping his wounded side, fell down to his side, more blood seeping through now that it didn't have a barrier pressing down on it. The warm liquid oozed down his side and dripped down to the carpet, staining it scarlet red.

'_Yugi!' _Yami yelled. He kept trying to get over to his light, but for some reason, the puzzle wouldn't let him. Something was holding him back. '_Hang in there!' _ All he could do was watch helplessly like the first time. He could do nothing to help.

"All in due time, Yugi." Cassandra said to Yugi. With her free hand, she reached into her jeans pocket and pulled another object out. Like earlier, she put the tip into her mouth and twisted the cap off.

Yugi's eyes widened, he stared at the second syringe she was holding. This one contained a purple liquid.

"Why . . . not kill me with . . . the gun?" he asked. He tried to hide the scared in his voice but it wasn't working. "Why kill . . . kill me with those?" he asked, indicating the needle in her hand.

Cassandra smiled. "This is more fun. I get to watch you suffer through the pain."

"Yugi!"

The red head ignored the yelling from outside as she started to explain her methods. "You see, in this syringe," she shook the object, "contains a very poisonous chemical that if you let a few small drops enter your system, you are rushed immediately to the hospital. But, if you were to say, have _this _much enter your body, you'll die a slow, painful death." She didn't give Yugi any time to say anything as she stabbed the syringe's needle into his shoulder close to the first small wound.

Hot liquid entered his blood stream and immediately felt the chemical attacking his insides. He let out a pain-filled cry.

XxxxX

"On the count of three," Tristan said as he and Joey stepped back from the door. They squared their shoulders towards the door and got ready.

"Three!" They shouted together and at the same time, hit the door. Finally, after several attempts, the door broke and it swung opened. They stumbled inside with the three girls behind them. What they saw made their blood boil.

"Yugi!"

XxxxX

Yugi noticed Cassandra flinch slightly when the door banged open. Even though he shouldn't be able to feel anything, thanks to the first shot, he could feel Cassandra's hand tighten more around his neck, almost blocking his air ways.

"Yugi!" Both Tristan and Joey yelled.

"Let him go, Cassandra!" Alex exclaimed.

The red-head smiled, but didn't release him. Instead, she moved him aside so that she could see who she was talking to. Yugi struggled with his last remaining strength, but failed. "And why should I, Miss Hatake?"

Alex pulled out a hidden gun from her waist band. "I'll tell you one more time, let. Him. Go." She clicked the safety off and pointed it at her.

"And don't think you can get away," Krissy added. "You're surrounded by the Tokyo police. The Domino police are on their way too."

"Fine, you win." Cassandra said sarcastically, and kept her smile in place. Instead of setting Yugi gently down on the floor, she tossed him towards the window like he was a rag doll.

Yugi squeezed his eyes shut just as he collided with the floor with a loud thunk. He slid a bit and stayed in the same position, limp and unmoving. He breathed heavily through his mouth as the pain exploded once again from his wounded side.

"Yugi!" Everyone called out, even Yami.

Alex handed Krissy the gun as she and Joey ran to their friend. They crouched down next to him. Alex picked her friends head up and rested him on her lap.

"Are you okay?" She asked, panic-stricken.

When he opened his eyes, he could feel pain eating away at his insides from the poison. "Mnn . . ." Was all he could make out.

"Yuge? C'mon, answer!" Joey practically shouted.

Laughter was heard then. The two looked over to see Alex's dad handcuffing Cassandra.

"He won't answer, if that's what you're wondering."

Krissy looked from her two friends to the (crazy) red-head. "What did you do to him?" She growled.

Cassandra just shook her head. "Even if I told you, there wouldn't be anything you could do. Once it enters your system, you have five minutes to live before you die. Now he's down to two. Tick tock."

Shutting the woman up, one of the officers that just entered the room started to recite, "Cassandra Sensamino, you have the right to remain silent. Anything that you say or do will be used against you in court."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah."

"Joey! Yugi!" Tea squeaked as she squeezed herself through the door and ran over to her friends. "What's wrong with him?" She knelt down next to them just as Tristan came over.

"Don't worry," Joey replied, panicking. He looked his friend over and noticed him start to turn pale.

"What do we do?" Tristan asked.

"We have to find out what happened to him first!" Alex said. Though she had no clue what had happened to him.

"Poi . . . son . . . ing." Yugi managed to breathe out. His lips barely moved.

"What kind of poison?" Tea asked as everyone gasped out in relief that he could still at least talk. Before answering, Yugi's eyes squeezed shut.

Alex cried out, "We n-need to get him to the hospital." Her hand rested on his side and when she brought it up, a warm, sticky scarlet plastered her hand. "He's wounded."

Joey went to scoop his friend up, but the teen shook his head. "Y-Yami." He gasped out.

Tea's eyes widened when she noticed for the first time that the puzzle wasn't around his neck. She looked up and quickly scanned the room for the golden pyramid. She spotted it just a few feet away from the group. She reached out and snatched the chain and pulled back.

"Joey." She handed him the puzzle.

Right when Joey took Yugi's hand and let it rest upon the puzzle, the pyramid made a soft 'bing' and a flash of golden light flashed. Everyone had to shield their eyes to avoid being blinded but before they did, they caught sight of the light wrapping itself around Yugi as if it was a golden blanket.

When the light disappeared, everyone looked back, including Cassandra who hadn't yet left the room.

Yugi blinked his eyes a couple of times before slowly sitting up. He winced from the pain in his left side but otherwise, sat straight up.

"Hey, what's going on?" Tristan asked, somehow confused, like everyone else in the room.

"I don't know . . . But, I don't feel hurt anymore, well, except for my side." In which he winced as the pain exploded again and his hand grasped his side.

"Son of a bitch!" Cassandra shrieked.

Five heads looked over to see the red-head glaring at a Yugi. "That damn pharaoh! He healed you!"

Yugi opened his mouth just as Yami's voice filled his head.

'_The power of the puzzle healed you of the poison and the paralyze. They no longer course through your body. But, the gunshot wound, I have no control of. It's physical.'_

/Thank you, Yami!/

"Oh, shut it," Officer Hatake said, escorting the chick out of the room with the other officer. "Save it for court."

When the three left, Alex let a sigh of relief out. Krissy walked over to the group and did the unexpected, flung herself at Yugi.

"Yugi! I'm so glad you didn't die!" She squeezed him tightly.

"He will be if you keep squeezing him like that," Tea mumbled only low enough for her to hear.

"Krissy . . . one, can't . . . breath." The blond let go with a sheepish smile. "Two . . . hurts a lot." He was still gripping his side.

"Oh right!" Joey gently scooped his friend up and stood. "I heard one of the officer's call for an ambulance. It should be here now."

"Great," Yugi said sarcastically, "another hospital."

XxxxX

Back at the hospital, the doctor just finished patching Yugi up and let his grandpa and friends in the room. Grandpa went directly to his grandson.

"Yugi, are you alright?"

"Yeah . . . thanks to Yami and you guys, I'm still alive." The young teen didn't have a shirt on. Instead, he had on a huge gauze on his left size, covering the wound.

The pharaoh appeared and smiled at his light. '_Just doing what I can.'_

"Yugi, I'm so glad that you're alright." Alex exclaimed. She and Krissy stood near the end of the bed as the ones closer to the boy stood nearest to him.

"That, and glad we came when we did." Krissy added with a smile.

The tri-haired slowly got to his feet. "Thanks for coming. You saved my life, all of you." He smiled.

"Ah, well, that's what friends are for, Yuge." Joey said, scratching the back of his head.

Tristan puffed out his chest a bit. "Yeah, for now on, we'll always be there for you, no matter what."

A ringing noise filled the air after Tristan finished his sentence. Alex's eyes lit up as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a green phone. She checked the caller ID and flipped it open.

"Excuse me," she muttered to the group before she started walking towards the door. Into the phone, "Hey dad . . . yeah. The hospital. Already? Kay, meet you there." Alex didn't even make it half way out of the room when she closed her phone and pocketed it. She came back. "Sorry, that was my dad." To Krissy, she said, "he's coming to pick us up in a few minutes to go home."

"Right." The two girls turned to Yugi. "Well, as you heard, we gotta go; her dad's waiting."

"See you whenever?" Alex smiled.

Yugi nodded just as Krissy elbowed her friend. "We'll see him in the court room."

"Court?" Tea questioned.

"Yup. We have to have a court hearing for Coby and Cassandra. Though, I don't know when."

Grandpa nodded and spoke, "Everyone should be getting a letter of the date."

Within a few minutes, the two girls hugged Yugi and said their goodbyes. Left in the room was just the normal group.

Joey leaned against the wall. "So, now what?"

XxxxX

Till next time!

Well, sorry about earlier…. I was in a freaking out zone

Lisa: You still are.

But, not as bad. My brothers neighbor managed to get back a smaaaall portion of my story. Out of the four thousand words, he only could get back one thousand. But, at least I don't have to start from scratch! XD

Yugi: That's true. But, it still sucks that you still have to rewrite it.

Yeah…. So, it's going to take me a bit longer with that chapter. x.x Oh, that and I have some good but bad news. Good for me, bad for y'all. :p

Lisa: This story, as you can see, is coming to an end

Sadely, yes. It has only ONE chapter left, pluuuuuuuuuuuus the epilogue. So, two chapters left. That's it. It's depressing, but in a way, it's awesome! XD

Please review!


	18. She Get's What She Deserves!

Well, I am back! ^^ Howdy there, y'all.

Okay, fanfiction still won't let me reply to my reviews, so, here goes:

**hollowgirl15: **Hehe, thanks, ^^ and I do agree. I can't believe I'm almost done. It's so weird! Were you able to recover any of your stuff? :o That really sucks! .

**DarkHeartInTheSky:** Whoo! Cookies! 3 ^^ and, thanks. It is hard to believe but it's awesome!

**YamiHeart:** Well, if it makes you feel any better, Yugi actually had like two minutes left! XP But glad that you liked it!

**Axl Howlett:** Hahahaha, I think he has more life than a god! He survives so many times or any and everything!

**DarkChao1663:** Yup. ^^ And, me and court scenes don't mix. So this one is going to suck! It's my first time doing one so I really don't know what I'm doing. And, to be honest, even as the author, I don't really think I ever said what made her so crazy. O.O oh crap, how am I going to put that in here?

**Angeldrkfire:** Um….. Is that a trick question about hating Yugi? Lol, just kidding. I love him so much! It's just so fun to torture him!

Yugi: HEY!

^^ Anyways, sorry that it's coming to an end. . But, you still have this chapter and the epilogue!

Chapter eighteen:

"April ninth, two-thirty P.M., case number 620124." The judge announced. The judge, who is a woman, looked up from reading the file out loud. Everyone in the court, which was a lot of people, were all standing. "You may sit." She said and banged the hammer against it's' stool. They all sat down.

Sitting on the judge's left in the crowd were the victims. On the first row of seats sat the nine survivors; Mark Calvin, Greg Hobbes, Lee Bros, Marcus Lin, TJ Wilkus, Devin Mitoko, Krissy Crites, Alex Hatake, and Yugi Mutou. Behind them sat their family and friends.

On the other side of the courtroom was Coby Home and Cassandra Sensamino. They sat at their own desk with a lawyer next to them. Behind them in the crowd, sat either friends and/or family. Most friends of Cassandra though.

Yugi sat in between Devin and Alex on the bench as they listened to the judge talk.

"Now, before I call for whether these two," She said, indicating Coby and Cassandra, "are guilty, we are to hear each of the victim's stories on what happened during the time they were misses."

So for the next hour, each teen told a bit of their story and was questioned by the lawyer. The lawyer would ask really simple questions like what they did there, what happened, what their back-story was, etc. Whoever was up being questioned would explain truthfully and give as much information out as possible.

When it came time for Alex to be questioned, the judge looked at her with a surprised look. "You're saying that she kept you, along with Miss Crites and Miss Hisashi (Dixie) down in the basement?"

"Yes, ma'am."

The judge nodded and told her to continue. So she did.

When Krissy came up to the stand, the question the lawyer asked and her story was almost word for word with Alex's. The only difference was at the beginning when she was asked about how she was taken. Krissy explained that she was walking home one night from hanging out with Alex when a man, now known as Coby, appeared in front of her. She put up a good fight, managing to give him a black eye, a few bruised ribs and a bruised jaw. The blond seemed pretty proud of herself as she explained.

After Krissy, Lee went. After Lee went a very shy Devin, and after Devin came last but not least, Yugi.

Explaining his own story was a bit of a challenge. He couldn't tell all of these people about Yami, not that he would, so he made up a lie.

"I don't know why she gave me the poison. Maybe it was because she wanted to make sure one of us died without having to hunt us down?" He shrugged innocently.

"Lair!" Cassandra yelled and stood up. Everyone in the room looked at her.

"Ms. Sensamino, sit down." The judge ordered, ignoring her comment. Cassandra glared at the lady in charged but did as she was told. The judge looked back to Yugi. "Continue."

He nodded. As he explained his story, some of the guys looked horrified, having no idea that he had taken poison back at the mansion. He also explained about his time in the hospital and what it felt like when the lawyer asked.

One of the people in the jury stood up and asked, "Mr. Mutou, you said the poison Ms. Sensamino had given you would kill you and you said this all happened a week ago. How are you still alive? Did you find the cure?"

Yugi nodded to the jury. "The poison was supposed to kill me. But, someone gave me the cure."

Someone else from the jury stood up. "Who?"

"Coby. Coby Home."

Everyone in the room turned to the said man.

"_You _did?" Cassandra hissed, beyond pissed.

Coby shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't want him to die. He has a long life ahead of him."

"And you helped him, after everything I did for you? For your wife?"

Whispering started up among the people as the Jury sat back down. The judge banged her gravel against the sound-block. "Order in the courtroom!" The talking immediately stopped. The judge looked over to Yugi. "So you're saying Mr. Home gave you the cure after everything he did?"

Yugi glanced over to Coby. The man, who seemed to know what was going on, nodded his head in silent permission. Yugi looked back to the crowd.

"He only did it so he could save his wife."

"His wife?" One of the Jury asked. "Did something happen to her?"

Once again, he nodded his head. "I would tell you what happened, but it isn't my place too. It's Coby's life and I am not to interfere with it in any way."

The judge looked touched. "Alright. If you are not done with your story, then continue please."

Since he only had one part left of his story, he made it quick. He described his encounter-ment with Cassandra and about being shot at in the side. (Which still hurt). However, he cut the poison part out, not knowing how he would explained being cure by a substance that would kill you in under five minutes and had no cure to it.

'_Are you alright, Aibou?' _Yami's voice filtered his head. When the court meeting started, Yugi gave Joey the puzzle for safe keeping. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling something bad would happened and if Yami appeared instead of Yugi, then there'd be questions.

/Yeah, it just feels weird not mentioning you./

'_It's for the best, unless you want to be questioned.'_

Yugi mentally shook his head. /I'll pass. This is already too many questions!/

When he had finished his story, his being the longest, the judge sent him back to his seat.

As he was passing the desk Cassandra was seated at, she reached out and grabbed his wrist, stopping him. Yugi tried to pull away but to no avail. He looked at her.

"If it wasn't for Coby, you'd be dead!" She growled only low enough for him to hear.

"And that, I owe him my life." Yugi pulled his wrist from her with a jerk and continued back to where he sat in between Alex and Devin.

The judge had been discussing something with one of the Jury. When the Jury member went back to his seat, the judge looked to Coby. "Coby J. Home, you may stand." Said man rose to his feet. "I talked with my Jury and here by announce you guilty."

Coby nodded, looking unaffected.

"You will be spending the next seven years in prison. You may be seated." He sat back down. "Cassandra M. Sensamino, stand." The red head took her time getting to her feet. "Ms. Sensamino. We questioned you yesterday, the day before, and the day before that but we have not received an answer. Now I'll ask you once more, what happened to Alexander Hokins, Keo Lokaru, and Kouichi Fuggiama?"

Yugi leaned towards Devin and whispered, "Whose she talking about?"

"They're the ones who disappeared before you came." He whispered. "They were trying to escape, but got caught right outside the bedroom door. We haven't heard nor seen them since!"

Yugi's eyes widened. To cover his shock, he nodded and sat straight up.

Feeling his discomfort, Yami's voice once again entered his mind. '_What is wrong?'_

/The boys who disappeared, I know what happened to them./ He tried to stay calm, but he could feel the nervousness form in the pit of his stomach.

'_Then say something; they need to know.'_

Yugi nodded but didn't say anything. He could hear his darker half sigh.

'_Yugi, if you don't say anything now, then you'll regret it for the rest of your life.'_

/Alright . . ./ Yugi mumbled in his mind.

"I'll ask you one more time, Ms. Sensamino: what happened to those three boys?" The judge asked again when Cassandra didn't answer the first time.

The red head crossed her arms against her chest. "I have no earthly idea what you're talking about." She said in a dull voice.

"Liar . . ."

The judge looked away from Cassandra to Yugi. "What was that, Mr. Mutou?"

Yugi looked up from his lap. Next to him, Devin looked confused and whispered, "What're you doing?"

Yugi didn't answer his friend, but answered the lady in charge. "She told me herself what happened to the others."

Cassandra glared at the boy and growled, "Don't you dare." But he ignored her as did the judge.

"Mr. Mutou, come to the center and explain how you know this."

When Yugi was standing at the little gate that marked the audience and the other side, he said, "Cassandra told me herself that she murdered the three boys."

"Really? The judge looked surprised. Cassandra, on the other hand, looked ready to explode. Her face was turning a bit red from anger. "So tell me, Mr. Mutou, where are Mr. Hokins, Mr. Fuggiama, and Mr. Tokaru?"

"Try checking the garden in her backyard."

"Excuse me?"

Yugi shifted from foot to foot. He felt a bit uneasy telling the truth, but as Yami had put it, they needed to know. He answered, "All she told me was that after she killed them, she buried the in her garden. How I know this is because she threatened me herself."

"You bitch! You first kidnapped my son, then you killed him!" A lady from the crowd screeched. Heads turned to find a female with waist long blond hair and dazzling blue eyes. She looked sort of familiar, though Yugi was certain he never saw her before. Well, at least he knew where Leon got his looks from.

"Ma'am, will you please sit down?" The judge asked as a man next to the crying lady gently helped her sit. He must have been the husband because he looked angry and had silent tears sliding down his face.

"Now, Mr. Mutou, are you positive?" The judge brought everyone's attention back to the front. Yugi nodded. She then turned to address the red head. "Ms. Sensamino, I assume what he said is true and - - sit down, Ms. Sensamino!"

While the judge was speaking, Cassandra had slowly stood up and now, she ignored the order. Seeing as her chair was right next to the gate leading to the audience, she had an easy access.

"I always thought 'mommy' old you not to tell one's secret." She growled. In one quick motion, she turned around and faced Yugi. In a flash, her hand came out of nowhere and appeared around his neck, starting to squeeze tightly.

He didn't react much, knowing something like this was bound to happen. But, unlike him, the courtroom exploded; people jumped out of their seats in surprise and some in rage.

"Security, restrain her!" The judge shouted and many cops jumped from their posts and sprang into action.

"'Mommy' did." Yugi tried very hard not to show any weakness. Instead, he gripped the gate in front of him until his knuckles started to turn white from his clutch. "But that wasn't a secret I should keep from the cops."

"You're as good as dead, Yugi Mutou." She hissed just as the cop pulled their guns on her. "Since I didn't kill you, someone else will. Mark my words."

"Let the boy go, Sensamino." One of the cops growled. He clicked the safety off of the gun and pointed it at her back.

Casting one last glare, Cassandra pushed the teen away from her and a different cop cuffed her wrists together, not at all being gently.

"Ow, watch it!" She hissed.

Yugi stumbled back from the force and would have fallen if not for a pair of strong hands catching him. The hands stabled him.

"Thanks Mark." He said, not even having to look back to see who helped him.

The copper-skin boy nodded his head. When Yugi did glance over his shoulder, he almost smiled. All of his friends, from the guys who were kidnapped to Joey, Tristan, and Tea, were all standing behind him, ready to help out. In his mind, Yami was cussing at the certain red-head while making sure his partner was okay.

"Cassandra Sensamino," The judge said loud enough to be heard. "I hereby claim you guilty. I sentence you sixty years in prison for the act of kidnapping, poisoning, smuggling foreign plants here, raping, murder, and attempt murder. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

The rich-bitch smirked and turned to the crowd, well, the nine survivors. "I may be gone, but that doesn't mean you'll forget me. You'll always be reminded day after day and there's nothing you can do about it."

"You could always cover it up or cut it off!" Mark yelled, referring to their burned mark.

Cassandra just rolled her eyes in an annoyed way. The cops lead her out of the courtroom with Coby trailing behind her.

"And now, I release you from my courtroom. Dismissed." The judge claimed and banged her gravel against the sound-block.

The rest of the people that was sitting down rose to their feet and started to file out of the door. Yugi and the rest of the group were swept down the aisle to the outside where the bright sun shone brightly as if it, too, were happy to see Cassandra gone.

Once Yugi stepped away and off to the side lines of the crowd, he was immediately brought into a group hug.

"Way to go, Yugi!"

"Thanks, man!"

"Without you, we'd still be with Cassandra!"

"I'll never forget you and your pointy hair. Thanks!"

And many more were mixed in as the guys thanked their rescuer. All Yugi managed to do was smile like he was embarrassed. Which, he was.

After a few minutes, they started to pull away saying that they had to leave.

"If you ever wanna hang out," TJ started, "just give me a call." He said his last thanks and left with his dad and mom.

"Take care of yourself, Yugi!" Lee shouted as he walked away to where his family was at and scooped his little sister up into his arms.

"Bye, Lee! Bye, TJ!" Yugi yelled.

Marcus was next, giving him a soft punch on the shoulder. "Thanks to you, I'll finally be able to see my old girl friend . . . that is, if she remembers me. Well, anyways, see ya!" He walked away to an elderly lady, probably his grandmother.

"Anytime you wanna hang out and you're in Tokyo, hit us up." Mark said. Greg was right beside him. "But, we gotta go, so, see you around, Yugi." And the two left.

Last but not least, was the normal three, Alex, Krissy, and Devin.

"We'll really miss you, Yugi!" Krissy cried and hugged him tightly.

Yugi felt a light blush form and he hugged her back. "I'll miss you too, but we'll keep in touch, right?"

The blond nodded and pulled back just to let Alex take her place.

"Yugi." She hugged him more tightly than her best friend, almost squeezing the breath out of him. "Call me whenever. And, I'll hopefully see you soon!" She released him.

"We'll see both of you soon!" Krissy included Devin.

"Yup. And, don't worry, I'll call you soon." Yugi smiled. He watched the two girls leave the group after they said all of their goodbyes.

"Well, Yugi." Devin said, being the last one. "Thanks for becoming my friend. It's a scary place we were at and it felt weird making friends. So, thanks." They hugged.

"Devin, don't worry, I'll keep in touch with you too." He had a gleam of amusement in his eyes. "How can I not? You're one of my best friends."

The boy seemed to brighten. Before he could say anything, a little girl yelled his name. They both turned to see Devin's family patiently waiting for him. They all waved and smiled.

"Well, thanks a lot. And, see you soon?"

"You bet!"

When Devin left with his family, Yugi became locked in a head lock.

"You did it, man!" Tristan yelled, giving his friend a knuckle sandwich.

"Hell yeah! Now you won't have to worry about that crazy bitch again!" Joey added. He and Tea walked up beside the two.

Yugi rolled his eyes in a playful manner, but his face darkened a bit. "Not for another sixty years . . ."

Tea hit him on the arm. "Don't be talking like that!"

"Yeah man, and even if she does get out, she'll be all old and gross." Tristan released his small friend just as Grandpa walked up.

"Old and gross, huh? What does that make me?" He playfully crossed his arms.

"Uh . . . young and handsome?" They all laughed.

"Yo, Yuge," Joey got his attention.

"Yeah?"

"I'm guessing this is yours?" He chuckled and handed the millennium puzzle back to it's' owner.

Yugi nodded and placed the chain around his neck.

'_Good job out there, Aibou.' _Yami's voice complemented. Yugi smiled.

"So, where to now?" Tea asked.

Grandpa thought for a minute, then looked at his grandson. "You know, I say when we get back to Domino, we should go to - -,"

"Burgerworld?" Yugi asked, interrupting. He had his normal puppy eyes set in motion.

Joey and Tristan laughed. "That's the Yugi we all know and love."

The five of them started to walk towards the car, talking about what happened in the courtroom and Joey's and Tristan's stomach. But, before they reached it, Yugi stopped, but no one noticed.

'_What's wrong?'_ Yami asked, materializing out of the puzzle.

Yugi looked down at his left hand where the mark CS had healed over. /No matter what, what Cassandra said is true. We'll always be reminded of the time we were away from our loved ones./

Though transparent, the ex-pharaoh laid a hand on Yugi's shoulder. '_Aibou, you might be reminded, day after day, but, you'll always be reminded that you're no longer there. Never again will this happen to you.'_

/How do you know that?/ Yugi asked bitterly.

'_Because, you have friends. They'll never let any harm come to you again.' _Yami looked straight into his partner's eyes. Seeing the truth embedded there, Yugi nodded, letting a breath of relief out.

"Yugi!" Tea called, getting his attention. "C'mon, we're leaving!" Everyone was already at the car, waiting for with.

Yugi smiled. "You're right, Mou Hitori no boku, I do have my friends." He started running towards his loved ones, all the while thinking, '_Cassandra, I will never forgive you. You took me from m family, did all kinds of things, took other people from their families . . . and what did you get out of it? Jail? Pleasure? Well, I only have one thing to say to you besides I hate you; thanks. If it weren't for you, Devin and Mark and everyone else would still be there. That and I wouldn't have made such great friends.' _

When he reached the car, Joey looked at him and held his first out. "Glad to have you back, buddy."

Yugi bumped his fist with the blonds. "Good to be back."

XxxxX

Well, that is it. Up next is the very last chapter. The epilogue!

Lisa: Dun dun duuuun

^^ Well, hoped you enjoyed this chapter. And, as you could see, I've never done a court scene. But, this was pretty good for a first timer. ^^

Lisa: Hey, everyone raise your hands if you wanna murder Cassandra! If you wanna hug Coby, pump the air with you other free fist! XD

Y'all really hated Cassandra, huh? Good. ^^ I tried to make her look really bitchy if I could. So, yeah. ^^

Next chapter, and last one, should be coming up reaaaaaally soon. Sorry this one took a little too long. I have been having a hectic week. But, I mean, who hasn't? Thanks for reading! XD


	19. Epilogue

*Sniffles* Hey guys!

Lisa: What's wrong, hikari?

It's the last *sniffles* chapter! I'm going to *rubs eyes* miss everyone!

Lisa: …. You'll see them in your other stories. You know, the ones you need to UPDATE on?

… Riiiiiiight. ^^ Annyways, this is the last chapter of this story! Man, it's so sad but so awesome! I'm finally finishing it! And on to the story for the last time! XD

Disclaimer: I so do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or any of its characters. You wouldn't want me too. Yugi would be in constant torture! ^^

Yugi: Hey!

Lisa: Sorry, hun, but don't deny the truth. It'll only hurt you more.

Epilogue:

A few months later, we find our young dueler in the Tokyo cemetery. He was wearing a navy blue suit and was carrying ten yellow roses in his hands. He was walking along the stone walk-way to give his respects to the ones who had died.

Over the last few months, Yugi was piecing his life back together. Even though it was summer time, he was attending summer school to try and make up the year he had missed. The teacher gave him a decision that he could start his junior year all over again or make up the lost time during summer to stay with his graduating class, though he would have much homework. Of course he chose to stay with his friends. But, as a result, he was working his butt off ten times than he would have if he just started his junior year over again. Besides school, he helped his grandpa around the shop a lot and hung out with his friends to also make up the lost time from being away from them.

"I can't believe it's already been a couple of months." Alex whispered, appearing at his side and linked his arm with hers. They continued to walk.

His friend Alex had cut her waist length hair to her shoulders. Her brown hair was styled a bit differently with bangs that slanted to one side and the rest of her hair was layered. She also added a few layers of purple to her brown hair. She wasn't as pale anymore and gained the weight she needed back. She even gained some muscle from joining her school's track team, saying that she wanted to be doing things. Just sitting at home after school reminded her too much of her time back when Cassandra kept her and Krissy and Dixie in the basement.

Today, Alex was wearing a spaghetti strapless black dress that went down to her knees with black plats. Her hair was slightly curled and her bangs were clipped back from her eyes.

"Yup." Yugi nodded.

On his other side, Krissy linked her arm with his free one. Unlike Alex, she kept her hair the same length except for getting it trimmed and nicely layered. She had gotten a tan so she wasn't as pale and also gained all the weight back that she was missing. Like Alex, she was dressed in the similar clothes, making it look like they shopped at the same place together. Except, her hair was all pulled up into a high pony hair.

"At least they're no longer in Cassandra's grasps."

The trio stopped when they reached a group of people all wearing black.

"Hey," they all mumbled in unison.

"Hey."

The two girls dropped their arms and let Yugi walk over to the tombstones that littered the ground in front of them.

For Dixie Hisashi, he set a yellow rose on the gravestone. "Rest in peace, Dixie."

For Sokko Koji, he set a yellow rose down and muttered the three words, plus his name.

He went to each stone and set down a rose; one for Leon Roku, Sai Tanaka, Tiler Kyoko, Haku Takashi, and she set the three remaining roses on the last headstone marked, Alexander Hokins, Keo Tokaru, and Kouichi Fuggiama.

Yugi stepped back, bowed his head, and sent a little prayer to each of them.

Every month, the remaining of the nine survivors would drive to the Tokyo cemetery and regroup. They would clean the stones and put fresh flowers and burn new incents. Lee was the one who decided to do this. That and it gave them a chance to see one another.

'_At least they will be forever free.' _Yami mumbled.

Yugi nodded and looked away from the graves. He felt sad but also happy. They _were _free; all of them. /Yup./

"Hey, Yugi," Devin called out. Said teen looked around and realized most of the guys were leaving. "We're going to go grab something to eat and catch up on things. Wanna come?"

The tri-haired teen nodded and ran to catch up with his friends. As he ran, the mark that forever clung to him appeared. If marks could smile, then you know this one did.

Fin

So, how'd you like it? ^^ Please tell me. And, I will miss y'all! Thank y'all so much for everything!

FYI The meaning of the yellow rose means Joy, Gladness, Friendship, Delight, Promise of a new beginning, Welcome Back, Remember me, Jealousy, "I care". I really went for the Remember me, friendship and I care. ^^ It makes sense.

Lisa: oh great, here's Kairi and where she's going to get corny….. -.-

It's not corny. I just wanted them to feel special! 3

I like to take the time in thanking y'all:

**Shining-Dreamer** for being my beta. Without you, this story wouldn't have gone that far. XD

**DarkHeartInTheSky** – Thank you so much! You are one of my readers that inspire me to keep writing. For all of my stories. I just wanted you to know that. Thank you!

**FireFox Vixen**

**DarkChao1663**

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Thank you all! ^^


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